Long Shot
by JoAnnB
Summary: Heyes and Curry are running from a relentless posse, and this time it's personal. COMPLETE
1. The posse

Long Shot

Chapter 1 - The Posse

"Heyes, tell me again why scaling this mountain is a good idea?" Kid Curry snapped over the sound of gunshots. He was in a foul mood from lack of sleep and food over the last two days, and riding up a steep narrow trail that left them exposed to the posse that had been the source of their troubles only made matters worse.

"Kid, they're not good enough to hit us from back there, and once we get over this ridge we can make it across to the trees. They'll have a devil of a time trackin' us over the rock and we can lose 'em up in those mountains." _The plan would work_, he told himself. _It had to. This trip down to Colorado had been his idea and it wasn't going to end in capture._

"I dunno, Heyes, I think they might be good enough," Curry exclaimed, ducking as a bullet whizzed by his ear. He slowed his horse slightly and turned around in his saddle to send a few shots back over the heads of the posse. He hoped it would make them back off a bit, but he was wrong. The posse kept firing and he could tell that at least a few of them were very good shots.

A few yards in front, Heyes concentrated on climbing. The trail was covered with loose rocks from a recent rockslide and his horse was struggling to find solid footing.

Heyes was concentrating so hard on reaching the top and what he believed would be their salvation that he didn't hear his partner let out a sharp grunt.

"Kid!" Heyes called back, a few minutes later. Curry was now a good distance behind him. "Get a move on. We're almost there." He glanced over his shoulder expecting to see the Kid urging his horse up the trail, but instead he saw his partner slumped over the horse's neck and looking precariously close to falling off.

"Kid! Are you alright?" he shouted again, not willing to acknowledge the reality that was staring him in the face. The question itself was absurd, he realized. The Kid was definitely not alright.

"Heyes…" Curry groaned, holding on tightly to the horse's mane and neck.

"It's okay Kid. We're almost there," Heyes said reassuringly, even as his own fear began to grab hold of him. _This couldn't happen, not now, not after they'd gone straight._ "Come on Kid." This time his voice was barely a whisper.

Frantically his mind raced through their options. _If they surrendered now, would these men give the Kid the medical attention that he needed? It might be their best option._ He wasn't sure Curry would be able to ride very far anyway. He could always work out a plan later. They'd been in jail before and they'd always found a way out.

Several shots rang out again and Heyes realized that they were shooting to kill. Surrender was no longer a possibility. This posse had no intention of taking them alive.

He grabbed wildly for the reigns to Curry's horse, and pulled the other animal alongside his own. He couldn't see any blood, but from the way the Kid was sitting in the saddle, he could tell the bullet was in his back or shoulder. He prayed it was only one and not in too deep. His friend was still conscious, but it looked like it was taking every ounce of his energy just to stay on the horse.

"Don't worry, Kid, I've got it all worked out," he lied smoothly and tried to give his partner an encouraging smile. "Just hold on."

The trail was too narrow to ride side by side, and he didn't want the Kid to be behind in case the posse fired any more shots, or he fell off. Heyes decided to get behind and drive Curry's mare up the trail. If she could find good footing they might make it. Just as Curry's horse crested the top, Heyes' horse stumbled and scrambled for solid footing, loosening more rock in the process. Desperately the animal lunged and made it up onto solid ground. Heyes watched, still holding his breath as the edge of the cliff gave way, the side of the mountain becoming a flurry of dust and gravel roaring down. The posse, just at the base of the mountain, turned and raced back away from the rockslide. Nobody was going to be following them up here today.

Blinking and shaking his head, he looked around to see where Curry's horse had gone. The mare was standing a few yards off, her head lowered and sides heaving. Kid was still mounted, although he was slumped over the mare's neck with his eyes closed. Fearful of what he would find, Heyes cautiously approached the animal and took hold of the reins. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave him a nudge.

Curry flinched and his eyes flew open. "Aah, watch it, that's where I got hit!" he exclaimed angrily.

Heyes let out a relieved breath. He gently lifted the sheepskin jacket and lightly ran his hand over Curry's back. Heyes felt the knot in his stomach tighten—his partner's back was wet and sticky. He looked down at his own hand which was now covered with blood.

"I'm gonna fix this Kid, I promise," he said, having absolutely no idea how.

Slowly, he helped the injured man off of the horse and then carefully tore open the back of his shirt. The wound was still bleeding, so he reached into the saddlebag for an extra shirt and tore it into strips. He grimaced as he could see only one tear in the skin, which meant only one bullet, but also meant no exit wound. He pressed the cloth against the Kid's shoulder to try and stop the bleeding.

Curry let out a cry of pain. "Damn it Heyes, if this bullet don't kill me your doctorin' sure as hell might!"

Heyes knew the anger was the Kid's way of fighting the pain, but the harsh words stung because Heyes already felt responsible for the whole situation.

"I'm sorry Kid," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He finished bandaging his partner's shoulder as gently as he could. The bullet looked deep and he was afraid he'd do more damage if he tried to get it out using his hunting knife. He was also worried about infection.

Curry had remained silent during the rest of the bandaging, and when Heyes was finished, he looked up at his partner and let out a ragged breath. "Heyes…"

"I know Kid… I know."

The look in his partner's eyes frightened Heyes more than the posse had. It wasn't just pain and fear. It was a look of trust. Heyes knew the Kid trusted him with his life. They had always trusted each other. Even though Curry would complain sometimes, they both knew they would always stand by each other. Heyes had never admitted it but he knew the Kid was right—he _was_ what had been keeping him alive all these years.

Desperately he looked around, trying to think of anything that would help his partner. Suddenly, his face brightened.

"Kid, how far do you think we rode today?"

Curry looked up and squinted as he tried to focus on the question. "What? Fifteen, twenty miles maybe."

"And yesterday?"

"Bout the same. What are you getting at?" Kid was confused and not sure what Heyes was trying to say.

Heyes was pacing back and forth, looking up at the sun and then over to the woods. "Kid, I think if we ride due east through those trees we'll come right out onto that little mountain town we stayed in a couple weeks ago. They got a doc there as I recall." He had already made his decision and was gathering up their things and getting Curry's horse ready. With the bleeding stopped and the wound tightly bandaged, the Kid stood a chance of making the ride. If he stayed here in the mountains with the bullet in him, he had a slim chance at best.

Curry didn't have the energy to argue, so he let Heyes help him back up onto his horse and prayed that Heyes was right.

-oooOOOooo-

Heyes gave a sigh of relief when the town below them came into view. He'd been right, but the ride had taken a toll on his partner. The Kid was barely conscious now, one hand grasping a handful of his horse's mane and the other tightly wrapped around the saddle horn. Heyes had been leading Curry's horse for the last hour.

"Kid," Heyes reached out and nudged Curry's leg.

"Hmm?" Kid opened his eyes and looked at Heyes, but couldn't seem to focus.

"I'm going to go check things out and make sure it's safe." He settled his friend down against a tree and tucked his bedroll blanket around him. He worried that taking a wounded man into town would draw too much attention from the local town folk and he wasn't sure what that would mean. "I'm going to find the doc and then I'll be back for you."

Curry nodded, his hand automatically resting on the handle of his gun. "I'll be f-fine, you be careful," he said, his jaw clenched tight.

Heyes had to smile; the Kid could probably still outdraw any lawman or gunslinger that came his way. He hoped the folks in town would remember them as the drifters that came through a couple weeks ago and nothing more. He kicked his horse into a gallop and headed into town.

The first building that Heyes approached was the livery stable. Two men were standing in front near the road and were involved in an animated conversation.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find the town doc?" Heyes called to the men.

"Sure thing, he's over at the sheriff's office," one of the men said, barely looking up.

Heyes felt the knot in his stomach tighten. "Is there a problem?" he asked lightly.

The second man turned and grinned broadly. "Naw, the sheriff just got a telegram that said to be on the lookout for any gunshot wounds. It seems that posse out trackin' those two outlaws thinks they hit one of 'em."

Heyes felt the color drain from his face as he tried to sound only casually curious.

"Oh? Is that so?" _How could word have gotten out so fast?_

"Sure is, I know 'cause I'm the telegraph operator," the man replied proudly. "I just delivered it to the sheriff. That posse just got back into Castle Rock and sent a bunch of telegrams out to all the surrounding towns." The man seemed anxious to impress this newcomer with how much he knew.

The taut smile on Heyes' face never faltered. "Well, you are well informed. I guess everyone will be safe here then. Well done."

Heyes reined his horse back into the street, his head swimming and fear welling up inside of him. There had to be a way to get help for his partner. _Why was that posse so damned efficient?_

As he rode down the street, he knew the two men were watching him. He knew if he immediately rode out of town they would probably become suspicious and go to the sheriff. _I'd lead the sheriff straight to the Kid, _he reasoned. _No, better to look like I have an errand in town. _

Glancing around, he saw the saloon where he and Curry had spent their evenings when they had stayed here. _What was the name of that girl that Kid had spent so much time with? Anne, Anna, Anna something? Annabelle, that was it. _With a sudden thought he reined his horse to a quick stop. Annabelle! The night they left town, they had heard about two cowhands from a local ranch who had gotten into a fight. One had cut the other pretty bad with his knife and the injured man had come looking for Annabelle to sew him up. Word around the saloon that night was that Annabelle did some doctoring for people who didn't want to make their injury or illness public. It was a long shot, but it might be their only chance.

A few quiet inquiries later, and a few dollars lighter, Heyes had the information he needed and headed back to find his partner.


	2. Annabelle

Chapter 2 - Annabelle

The two former outlaws made their way cautiously around the outskirts of town, past a few scattered cabins until Heyes saw the one he was looking for. "There Kid, they said the one with the blue gingham curtains." Two young women were hanging laundry on a line stretched between two trees. When they saw the men approaching, they ran into the cabin. One of them appeared moments later in the doorway with a shotgun resting on her arm.

Heyes swallowed nervously and tried to look as non-threatening as possible. "Hello ma'am, we're looking for Annabelle. Would that be you?" He'd seen the girl with the Kid, but he hadn't really paid any attention to her. He glanced over at his partner, but his eyes were half closed with a slightly glazed look. Heyes continued to smile innocently at the young woman who had the shotgun pointed at them.

"Who's asking?" the woman demanded.

"My name's Joshua Smith. My partner and I were in town a couple of weeks ago and we met you at the saloon. Well, my partner, Thaddeus here, he remembered you."

At the name she seemed alarmed and looked over at Kid. She squinted into the sun, trying to get a better look at him. "What's wrong with him?" she asked guardedly.

The look on her face made Heyes take a deep breath. She seemed almost more afraid now than before he'd introduced himself.

"Hunting accident ma'am, we were up there in the mountains hunting and I accidentally shot him. Well, you can see why I'd rather not see the doctor in town. It's a little embarrassing and I don't want anyone to think I shot him on purpose." He was watching her reaction as he spoke, trying to gage whether or not she was buying it.

"I'm not a doctor. Why come here?" Without waiting for an answer she continued. "You'd better just keep riding on out of here. Go on, before I shoot the both of you." She raised her shotgun and looked as though she was capable of carrying out her threat.

Before Heyes could respond, he saw Kid slump down and start to slide off his horse. Quickly he reached out and grabbed onto Kid's jacket and then jumped down from his own horse and let Kid fall into his arms. Standing there holding his unconscious partner he felt like he was at the end of his rope. He had no silver-tongued story or clever plan. He'd beg if he had to.

Seeing the desperation in his eyes, Annabelle lowered the shotgun. "Bring him inside," she said softly. Heyes looked at her, grateful but confused.

"Well I can't exactly send you away now can I." It was more a statement than a question. She sighed and with a resigned look, helped get the unconscious man inside. She quickly cleared the one table in the small cabin and directed Heyes to lay his friend down.

She put her head close to the Kid's face to check whether he was breathing and then laid her head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat. She felt the bandage under his shirt. "How long ago did this happen?"

"A few hours ago," Heyes responded numbly.

"Did the bullet go through?" she asked uneasily.

"No," Heyes admitted.

Looking into the unconscious man's face she remembered him from the saloon. Most of the men were local ranch hands, so a stranger always stood out. She served drinks and talked with the men. Sometimes she'd dance with them but nothing more. The men could play cards and drink and celebrate a Saturday night but it wasn't the sort of place where men went upstairs with the girls. Sometimes strangers expected that, so she was always a little cautious. Thaddeus had been a perfect gentleman. He'd come in three or four nights in a row and always looked for her. He'd said he and his friend had jobs waiting for them in Denver, but he hadn't said any more and she hadn't asked.

Returning to the matter at hand, she pushed a loose strand of hair out of her face and stood up. "Well then, we have work to do." She went to a cabinet and opened a small drawer where she took out a narrow knife and a pair of long pointed tweezers. She also brought out towels and a bottle of clear liquid.

"Molly, can you please wait outside and let me know if anyone else comes up the road?"

For the first time Heyes noticed the other woman who had been standing in the corner of the room.

"Annie, you can't!"

"Molly, please." Annabelle gave her an urgent look.

"I'll be right outside if you have any trouble," Molly said, giving Heyes a fearful glance before she left.

Annabelle began carefully removing the injured man's jacket and shirt. "I'll need your help, Mr. Smith."

"Call me Joshua," Heyes said, helping her with the Kid's shirt. Finally she unwrapped the crude bandage and examined the bullet wound. She frowned.

"It doesn't look infected yet, but the bullet is in deep." She dampened a towel and cleaned the injured man's back, then poured some of the clear liquid over the wound. Heyes jumped as his partner let out a groan and stiffened.

"Hold him down," Annabelle instructed, without stopping her cleaning of the wound.

When Heyes just stared at her wide-eyed, she glared at him, annoyed.

"You asked me to help him, now hold him still so I can get this bullet out. Don't worry, he isn't conscious so he won't remember any of this."

Heyes put both of his hands firmly on the Kid's back, and prayed that he wouldn't wake up until this was over.

Annabelle took the long thin knife and made a straight cut near the center of the entrance wound. After a few minutes of probing with the long tweezers she pulled the bullet out. She looked at the bullet and then laid it on the table. She continued to clean out the wound and remove small bits of fabric and dirt. When she was satisfied that she had removed all she could, she washed the wound again and laid a thick wad of clean white gauze over it.

"Press this down firmly while I get my needle and thread," she instructed Heyes. He swallowed hard and did as he was told. There had been so much blood, and the Kid looked so white and still. At least he hadn't tried to move again.

Annabelle returned with a large needle and long piece of black thread. After wiping away as much of the blood as possible, she carefully began to close the wound. When she was finished, she bandaged the area with more of the long strips of gauze that she had in her cupboard. Finally, she told Heyes to help her move his friend onto the bed in the corner.

After settling the injured man in the bed, Annabelle turned her attention to Heyes. "He's lucky, the bullet didn't hit his spine or break any bones. He's lost a lot of blood, but if infection doesn't set in, he should pull through." She paused for a moment and looked searchingly into Heyes' face. "He should see the doctor in town, but that isn't possible is it?"

"I told you," Heyes began.

"I know what you told me, but it isn't the truth," she interrupted. After a short pause, she continued. "If you really had accidentally shot him, you would have taken him straight into town. You wouldn't have wanted anyone to question your sincere desire to get him proper medical care. You would have wanted him to have the best chance of survival so he could clear you of any blame." She looked back at the table. "And besides, that bullet is from a revolver, not a hunting rifle."

He smiled, caught in the lie. He hadn't expected her to know the difference.

She took a deep breath and continued. "Last week a posse came through town, they said they were tracking two dangerous outlaws. They said the men they were after might have come through here. They came to the saloon and asked a lot of questions. The descriptions they gave fit the two of you." She looked Heyes straight in the face. "I didn't believe the man I'd met the week before could possibly be a dangerous criminal because he had been so kind and polite." The young woman's eyes strayed over to where Kid lay sleeping in her bed.

"If you knew all that then why did you help us?" Heyes asked, his voice low and without emotion.

"Because if I hadn't, he would have died," Annabelle stated matter-of-factly.

Realizing he was waiting for a better explanation, she continued. "My father was a doctor, he treated men during the war. He worked all through the night, sometimes day after day with very little sleep, treating men from both sides. He worked just as hard saving the lives of men who were fighting to destroy everything he believed in as he did saving boys he'd watched grow up. He said it was his duty to do everything he could to save a life, no matter who the person was or what they'd done. I guess some of that rubbed off on me."

Heyes was staring at her with admiration. "What are you going to do now?" Heyes asked quietly.

"If I turn you in now, it would be the same as killing you myself. I won't do that. But they're sure to come looking here if you were in town asking about me."

"As soon as he can ride, we'll go up into the mountains, we can hide out there while he gets his strength back," Heyes said, realizing that she was right. It wasn't safe for them here. They'd have to take their chances in the mountains.

At that moment there was a knock on the door. Heyes immediately reached for his gun, but relaxed when a quiet voice inquired, "Annie, it's time for work, is everything okay?"

"Yes, I'll be right there," she answered her friend.

Turning to Heyes, she said confidently. "If I go and act as if nothing is wrong, I can buy you some time. He can't ride out tonight anyway. You can sleep here on the floor and I'll stay next door with Molly. Oh, and you'd better do something about your horses."

She looked at him with new respect. Somehow his sincere concern and willingness to risk his own life and freedom to get help for his friend had touched her. She reached out and put her hand gently on his arm. "He's going to be alright," she reassured him. "I'll check on him when I get back tonight." Annabelle smiled and then turned and walked out the door.

-oooOOOooo-

The hours passed slowly, but Heyes had forced himself to stay awake. He hadn't slept much in the last few days and several times the fatigue had threatened to overtake him. He shook his head to stay awake. He needed to stay alert.

He had tried to make the Kid as comfortable as possible, but he looked so pale and Heyes feared that he was developing a fever. _I'm so sorry Kid, this wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to keep us out of trouble._ Sitting there watching over his friend, his mind drifted back over the events of the last few days. Anything he could have done to spot the trouble sooner, or some way to have lost the posse before they were able to get close enough to take that shot. He was always hard on himself, but this time, if Kid didn't make it—he didn't want to think about that.

A sound at the door brought Heyes' gun into his hand. He stood up, prepared to meet whoever it was, silently cursing himself for not hearing the approach.

"It's alright, it's only me," Annabelle whispered.

Heyes smiled apologetically and returned his gun to his holster, thankful that Annabelle had returned. She looked tired also as she came in and stood next to him.

"Did he wake up at all?" She asked, reaching over to feel the Kid's forehead.

"No," Heyes answered, the concern evident in his voice.

"He has a slight fever, but his breathing sounds good, and his heartbeat is strong. Much stronger than when you first brought him in. His body is just doing what it needs to do to heal." After checking to make sure that the incision wasn't bleeding, she gently tucked the handmade quilt around Kid's arms.

"Thank you," Heyes said with a smile, and laid his hand on her shoulder.

When she turned around, the look on her face said she had something to tell him.

"The sheriff came in and asked if I'd seen you today. I told him that you had come by this afternoon, but that I sent you on your way."

"And did they believe you?"

"Well, I came home alone didn't I? No sheriff at the door." She sat down at the table, suddenly looking very young and tired.

"I'm sorry for all of the trouble we've caused you," Heyes said quietly. "I didn't mean to put you in this position."

"Oh?" She asked, her question sounding more like an accusation. "You came looking for me, with every lawman and bounty hunter in the county on your trail. How would that not mean trouble?" She glared at him for a moment and then softened. "I'm sorry," she added quickly, "I know you had no choice."

"No, I had a choice. I chose to put you in danger in order to save his life," Heyes admitted grimly, nodding toward Kid.

"I'm not sorry you did," she said sincerely, looking into the brown eyes that met hers.

"So, how does a doctor's daughter come to be serving drinks in a saloon in a tiny town in the Rockies?" he asked, finally voicing the question that had been on his mind all night.

She smiled and said teasingly, "What's the matter? Not respectable enough for you?"

"No, I, I was just curious."

"My father wanted to get away from a lot of bad memories after the war, so we moved out here. My mother died when I was a baby, so it was just my father and me. I practically grew up in his office, watching and learning and helping out with the patients. I learned a lot about medicine, but not very much about how to keep a house or cook proper meals. We had a housekeeper that took care of us, and I loved spending my time with my father. I suppose because I was all he had, he indulged me and let me stay with him.

"He was a better doctor than he was businessman. I didn't realize at the time, how often he accepted a basket of eggs or a jar of preserves as payment for his services. He loved helping people and we got by all right.

"After he died, and the bills had all been paid, I realized there was hardly any money left. I also realized that I had practically no skills necessary to find employment. Most of the men found me a little too headstrong, and I really didn't know how to be a wife or keep a house anyway." Her voice trailed off slightly as she looked out the window.

She paused, and yawned. Without waiting for him to comment she stood up and started toward the door. "I'm going to go get some sleep and you should too. I'll see you in the morning."

He watched her go and thought about what a beautiful young woman she was. He wondered briefly why he hadn't noticed before.


	3. Bad News

Chapter 3 – Bad News

Heyes hadn't meant to doze off, but the fatigue and hard riding of the last few days finally took its toll.

"Heyes…"

Heyes rolled over and pulled his blanket up around his neck.

"Heyes…"

"Kid would you be quiet, I'm trying to…Kid!" Heyes' eyes flew open as he sat up and looked over at his friend.

"Heyes I'm thirsty."

"Kid, how do you feel? Can you move your arm? Do you think you can sit up?"

"Heyes, I just want a drink of water." Curry was looking at him through weary eyes.

Heyes laughed, relieved that his friend had woken up and was talking. "Kid, you won't believe this girl who took the bullet out of your shoulder. She –"

"Heyes, would you just shut up and get me a drink of water?" Kid asked with a frustrated sigh.

"Oh, sure Kid, why didn't you just ask?" He reached for the pitcher of water that Annabelle had left and poured a drink. Carefully he helped Kid sit up and held the cup while he took a drink.

"Heyes, where are we?" Curry asked looking around the small cabin.

"Well, Kid, we're staying with Annabelle, the girl who –"

As if on cue, Annabelle walked through the door.

"Who saved your life," she said with a smile as she set down the load of firewood that she had brought in for the small stove that heated the cabin. "Well, you look a whole lot better than you did yesterday."

Annabelle took Heyes' position next to Curry and examined the bandage. "This looks good, but you're going to need to heal a little more before you try and outride any more posses."

The injured man's eyes darted to his partner with an alarmed look.

"She knows who we are Kid, that posse came through here after we left and talked to her. It seems like we're big news around these parts," Heyes admitted.

"Heyes, we gotta …" Curry started to sit up, but sank back down as the room began to spin and his vision clouded over. Lying still for a moment he regained his grip on consciousness. "What…what's wrong with me?" he asked, confused.

"You've had a serious injury and you've lost a lot of blood, you need to rest that's all," Annabelle assured him, knowing as she said it that his chances of getting the kind of rest he needed were slim at best.

Annabelle looked from the injured man to his dark haired companion standing and began speaking in a more somber tone.

"The men were talking in the saloon last night. The posse didn't disband when they lost you after the rockslide. They're still after you. Folks are expecting them to come through here in a couple of days, maybe even sooner. They'll be a lot more thorough in their search than the men in this town."

"Heyes," Curry said in an almost pleading tone. "You've gotta ride out of here while you can. You can come back for me, break me outta jail after I'm healed up." He closed his eyes again and his breathing slowed to a steady rhythmic pace.

"I can't leave him here," Heyes said shaking his head.

"No, you can't," Annabelle stated so adamantly that Heyes stared back wide eyed.

"Oh, I don't mean that I'm throwing you out, but believe me, that posse doesn't intend to take either of you alive."

"How can you be sure of that?" he asked, taken aback. "The reward is just as good alive as dead, and a live prisoner is always a better choice."

"Not to this group. The men riding in this posse have a reputation for bringing in the dead bodies of some of the most dangerous men in the state. It seems they put you in that category. And now with the added bonus, well there will likely be more men like that coming after you."

Heyes looked at her with confusion. "What are you talking about? What bonus?"

"You didn't know? I thought..."

"Know what? Tell me what you meant by bonus." His voice darkened as a pending feeling of gloom came over him.

"Well, according to the talk in the saloon, some of the railroads that were offering the reward for your capture are getting tired of waiting. They're afraid you're going to get away with all the robbing you did, or that you might even disappear or go straight. Someone has offered an extra five thousand dollars if you are captured by the end of the year. Unofficially," she dropped her eyes and stared at the floor as she finished, "they'd prefer to have you brought in dead and they've hired a few select groups of men to do the job. You encountered one of those groups here."

Heyes' mind was spinning to take in this new information and what it meant for his partner. He had just begun to relax and feel like they were safe, at least for a few days. Now they were on the run again, and with the Kid barely able to ride. Once again he felt the weight and responsibility for both of them bearing down on him. He couldn't leave the Kid, he couldn't stay, he couldn't take the Kid with him, heck, he couldn't even think anymore. He turned away from Annabelle, hoping that he didn't look as desperate as he felt.

"I can try and hide you here for a little while longer, maybe long enough for him to get enough strength back to ride?" Annabelle suggested hopefully.

"No, we can't put you in any more danger. I'll let him sleep for a couple of hours and then we'll ride out."

"He'll never make it if he tries to ride today. He needs at least a few days to rest. There must be a way, somehow..." The girl looked sadly over at the young man whose life she had helped to save. A life that now seemed doomed to be lost.

"We'll make it. We've made it out of worse spots," Heyes said with the practiced confidence he had relied on over the years.

"Which one of us are you trying to convince, me or you?" She asked gently, looking into his eyes.

"Both," he said, managing a slight smile. To his surprise, Annabelle stood up and wrapped her arms around him, enveloping him in a warm embrace. The two stood that way, neither of them speaking, until at last Annabelle broke embrace and turned away so that Heyes wouldn't see the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes.


	4. Decisions

Chapter 4 - Decisions

For most of the day, Curry slept and Heyes pondered. The fact that they needed to leave town before the posse arrived was clear, but the rest was cloudy at best. Just how long before his partner could ride without it killing him? How far and how fast could he ride once he was able? Where could they go? The new information about an additional reward offered for their dead bodies was disheartening. They had worked so hard to live honest, law abiding lives, and for what? The only hope seemed to be waiting it out. If the offer was only good until the end of the year, then all they had to do was stay out of sight until December. Maybe by then the governor would make good on his promise.

Heyes glanced over at the sleeping form of his partner. Curry looked much better than he had the day before. With the bullet out and the wound stitched, he could begin healing. Maybe if they took it slow, out-foxed the posse, and found a place to hide. Heyes shook his head. He was an odds player and the odds against their survival at the moment were staggering. Still, they had no choice but to try. They weren't going to wait there like sitting ducks. Heyes calculated that they could wait the night at least, then in the morning he would see how the Kid felt.

Annabelle returned only briefly that night to check on her patient and bring Heyes some stew that her friend Molly had prepared.

"In case that posse does get here sooner than we think, you'd better stay at your friend's place tonight. I wouldn't want you caught in the crossfire," Heyes said quietly after Annabelle finished checking Curry's wound and settling him back to sleep.

"I don't like running from trouble," she argued.

Heyes gave a brief sarcastic laugh. "That's on our daily agenda."

At her shocked look, his face softened and he gave her a gentle smile. "Look, I have enough to worry about just trying to keep him safe right now, I don't want to have to worry about you too."

She sighed and considered his words.

"You're right, I should stay at Molly's. I think he'll be able to ride in the morning if you take it easy and don't push him too hard at first. You'll have to take the stitches out in a few days. Can you do that?"

"I think I can handle that. It looks a lot easier than taking a bullet out."

"I'll give you a small pair of scissors that you can use, and some clean bandages. Just in case."

"Annabelle, I don't know how to thank you for all you've done—all you're risking." Heyes looked into her deep brown eyes and wanted at that moment to take her in his arms again and hold her tight, but he resisted and took a step back.

"Just stay safe, I would hate to think that all of my efforts were for nothing," she said warmly returning his gaze. "And call me Annie, it's what my friends call me," she added quietly before turning and walking out, slowly closing the door behind her.

-oooOOOooo-

Heyes managed to get a little sleep that night, knowing he would need to be alert when they headed into the mountains again. He slept with his gun resting securely by his side. In the morning he wasn't sure what had kept him up the most, worrying about the posse or thinking about Annie.

The three ate a quiet breakfast together with Curry wondering what he'd missed the last day and a half as he watched the way Heyes was looking at the pretty brown haired girl sitting across from him.

Two hours later Kid Curry sat on his horse, bracing himself against the pain that shot down his back every time the horse took a jolting step. He wasn't sure how far he could ride, but he owed it to his partner to stay in the saddle as long as he could. One thing was certain, he wouldn't hold Heyes back any longer. Heyes would be miles away by now if he hadn't stayed behind to help him. They'd always been cocky about the danger, taking bold risks, sure of their ability to outsmart or outrun any lawman or bounty hunter that came after them. This time they both knew they were in serious trouble. Curry waited while Heyes said goodbye to Annabelle on the porch and tried not to think about how he was going to be feeling in a few hours.

Annabelle watched them ride slowly up into the hills for a few minutes before going back inside. Certain that some of the posse members would come searching soon, she set out to clean up evidence of her recent house guests. She planned to simply burn the bloody bandages and was gathering them into a bag when she heard the approaching horse. Going to the door, she recognized Max Logan, a cowhand from one of the ranches outside of town. She'd seen him a few times at the saloon but didn't know him very well. At first she thought that perhaps he was coming to seek some type of medical assistance, as the ranch hands sometimes did, but the look on his face frightened her. She was about to reach inside for her rifle when he drew his gun.

"No fancy moves," he warned her, as he slowly dismounted and stepped up onto her front porch.

"Now, let's have a look inside." He waved his gun, indicating for her to lead the way.

"Well, what do we have here?" He asked grinning, as he kicked the bag of bandages, knocking it over and spilling some of the bloody bandages onto the floor. "Looks like somebody sure did a lot of bleedin'." He stepped closer to her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him. "Who was it? Was it one of them outlaws?"

Annabelle cried out as he tightened his grip and twisted her arm behind her. "Max, stop, what are you doing?" she pleaded.

"I was at the livery the other day when that drifter came lookin' fer a doctor. Went away real quick when he heard the doc was at the sheriff's office though. Then I hear he come lookin' fer you at the saloon. Know what I think?" he snarled at her.

She glared back, trying not to let him see how much he was hurting her arm.

"I think he was one a them outlaws they's lookin fer, and I think you know where they are." He leaned in close and she could smell musty tobacco and whiskey on his breath.

"I aim to collect that reward before that posse gets to town. Where are they?" The last few words were emphasized with another squeeze and twist of her arm.

"I don't know about any outlaws," she said defiantly. "One of Johnson's boys came in with his leg all cut up on some barbed wire fencing and I cleaned it out for him. That's all."

"You're lyin'," he said menacingly, and holstered his gun. Gripping both her wrists firmly in one hand, he pulled a knife from his belt and slowly lifted it toward her cheek.

"Tell me where they are," he said slowly, accentuating each word.

Annabelle froze, the cold blade pressed against her face terrified her. "I really don't know. They left," she sobbed, fear replacing her anger as she closed her eyes.

-oooOOOooo-

"Drop the knife and let her go." A deep voice commanded from the doorway.

Logan quickly spun around, pulling Annabelle in front of him and lowering the knife to her throat. "No, I think it's you that's gonna to be droppin' that weapon." A slow grin spread across his face as he faced the 'drifter' he had met at the livery stable.

Annabelle stared at the man in the doorway. She almost didn't recognize the face. He looked different somehow. In the two days that he had been in her home, she had never seen his face so hard, his eyes so intense. There was something frightening about him.

"You can't shoot me without hittin' her," Logan said, starting to laugh.

"I can." A cold steady voice announced from directly behind Logan. The man's smile faded and his eyes narrowed. Slowly he lowered the knife and released his grip on Annabelle.

Hannibal Heyes rushed forward and relieved Logan of both the knife and the gun. As Annabelle pulled away, she turned to see Kid Curry propped against the wall, his gun still trained on Logan.

"Thought I told you to stay on your horse," Heyes admonished his friend.

Curry gave his partner a withering look and holstered his revolver. With Heyes firmly in control of the would-be bounty hunter, Curry allowed himself a moment to gather his strength. He slumped against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to ignore his throbbing head and aching back. He had stayed behind the house while Heyes went around front. Hearing the voices inside, he knew that both Annabelle and Heyes needed him. He had been able to climb through the back window without making enough noise to alert Logan and then quietly come up behind him.

With a quick glance to check both his partner and the girl, Heyes focused his attention on securely tying the attacker.

Annabelle watched numbly as Heyes sat Logan in one of her chairs, tied his hands and feet and then secured him to the chair. Finally he removed Logan's bandana and used it as a gag. When he was finished he turned his attention to her and she saw his face soften slightly, but there was still a deadly seriousness about him. Stepping closer, he put his hands on her shoulders to steady them, and it wasn't until then that she realized she had been shaking.

"Annie," he said looking pointedly into her eyes, "If this guy put it together, someone else could too. The sheriff is going to know you helped us and you're going to be in a lot of trouble."

She took a ragged breath and nodded. _Was that regret that she saw in his eyes?_

"We can't take you with us. You'd be in more danger than if you stayed here and took your chances with the rest of the town." He glanced over at his partner and a worried frown came over his face. He wasn't sure how he was going to get himself and Curry out of this, let alone the girl.

"There's a stage at 4:00 p.m., if I got on it before anyone else suspected –" She shot a worried glance toward Logan. "I could take it to Gunnison and then change stages or get on a train going… somewhere…"

"I doubt he told anyone where he was going, so it will be a while before someone finds him," Heyes thought aloud. The man grunted and jerked at his ropes, but he was held fast.

Heyes turned to Annabelle. "No one will really be looking for you anyway, even if they do suspect we were here, there's no reward out for you." He paused for a moment as though waiting to be sure of his decision before he spoke. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out several large bills. He had won big at poker last week and they had hoped to enjoy the money in Denver.

"Here, Annie, this should be enough to get you a fresh start."

Her eyes were wide with surprise and confusion as she looked at the bills he was handing her. "This is so much," she stammered as she looked at the money.

"Just take it before I change my mind," he said gruffly, but his eyes belied the harshness of his words.

She nodded and gave him a smile.

As she gathered a few of her things into a small bag Heyes made sure Logan's ropes were secure, then went to check on his partner. Curry was slumped on the floor with his back against the wall, his eyes closed.

"You alright?" Heyes put his hand on the Kid's shoulder.

"We about done here or are you going to ask her to the church social?" Curry said, slowly opening his eyes.

Heyes let out a relieved laugh. "Do you feel good enough to climb back up on your horse?"

"I'll feel a lot better when we've put some distance between us and that posse that's on its way. Let's go." He started to stand but lost his balance. Heyes grabbed him under his arm to steady him, his face showing renewed worry.

"I'm fine, Heyes," Curry said roughly. "She's a good doc," he added with a nod toward Annabelle who was busy preparing to leave. "I'm going to be fine," he said again, this time with more assurance and Heyes relaxed slightly.

"That was a real nice thing you did. I hope things work out for her," Curry told his partner as they stepped out onto the porch. "Of course I don't know what we're going to use for money now," he added, giving his partner an exasperated look.

"Come on Kid, I may have had a sentimental moment but I didn't give her all of our money," he said defensively and then grinned.

"Take care of yourselves and stay ahead of that posse," Annabelle called after them, sounding somewhat like a mother telling her children not to get their feet muddy.

"Oh, we always seem to find a way to do that," Curry said forcing a smile he climbed on his horse.

"Goodbye, Annie," Heyes said gently, and before he could stop himself, was leaning over kissing her softly on the lips. Their eyes held for a moment before he looked away and mounted his horse and followed his partner.

"You're gettin' soft, Heyes," Curry chided as they rode away.

"I am not!" Heyes responded, offended that his partner could even think such a thing.

"Are too," Kid insisted, "but your taste is improvin'."

Heyes started to argue but stopped. "My taste?"

"In women. Ya know, Heyes, you'd probably do well to let me pick 'em for ya every time."

"Pick my women? What are you talking about?"

Curry pulled his horse to a stop and wheeled around to look his partner in the face. "I'm talkin' about me pickin' Annabelle out for you."

"You didn't..."

"Which one of us was it, met her in that saloon?"

"Well, you did, but..."

"And which one of us spent all those evenin's sittin' and talkin'... mind ya, JUST talkin' with her?"

"You I guess, but..."

"I rest my case."

"Rest your case? Kid, you haven't proven..."

"Heyes, do you really think, if I had MY sights set on Annabelle Granger she'd have been kissin' YOU goodbye 'stead of me?"

"I guess not, Kid," Heyes shook his head, nudging his horse forward and grinning at his partner's apparent need to minimize the blow to his masculine dignity. "I guess not."

"Guess not is right." Curry gave a curt nod and urged his horse to a quicker pace.

Heyes just smiled, watching Curry ride ahead of him. He could tell that the Kid was still in a lot of pain, but his spirits were good and he was looking stronger. Heyes was just thankful that Curry was feeling well enough to rib him and that they were finally getting out of town—and away from one more posse.


	5. The Mountains

Chapter 5 - The Mountains

It became obvious to Heyes sometime shortly after noon that the Kid wasn't going to be able to ride much further that day. The energy that Curry had shown earlier had faded and from the look on his face he was feeling every painful jolt. Their luck had held out and they had seen no sign of a posse following them, so Heyes decided to take a risk.

"Kid, I think we should stop for a while. Let's make camp here. I need some peace and quiet to think about what Annie told me about that posse. We're gonna need a better plan than just running," Heyes said thoughtfully, and hoped Curry believed it was his only reason for wanting to stop.

"You sure Heyes? 'Cause I can keep riding if we need to put some miles in," Curry offered.

Heyes smiled and nodded, seeing the relief in his friend's face.

They slowed their horses and looked for a spot to make camp. Finally, Heyes found a place that had a wide view of the mountainside, but still gave them good cover.

"Better not risk a fire, huh?" Curry asked as he sat down and then gently stretched out.

Heyes made a face. "No, probably not," he agreed reluctantly. "I'll take the first watch, why don't you—" he stopped abruptly when he realized his partner had already fallen asleep. Shaking his head, he spread Curry's sheepskin jacket over him and stood watching him for a few minutes. His breathing seemed more labored, more like the first night, but it was probably just the result of the hard ride. The sooner the Kid got his strength back the easier it would be for them to outrun this posse and any others.

Heyes busied himself with making camp and taking care of the horses while the afternoon turned into evening. The Kid did not wake up and Heyes decided to let him sleep for a while longer. Heyes shuddered suddenly as a gust of wind hit him. The air had turned considerably colder after the sun went down. Weighing his options, he decided that a small fire was worth the risk. Glancing over at his sleeping partner, he wondered again how they were ever going to make it out of this one. Most of his ideas involved Curry at least being able to ride and maybe hop a train or two. Shaking his head, Heyes silently built the fire and filled a small tin pot with water from his canteen.

After retrieving a little of the coffee he had in his saddlebag, he sunk down tiredly on the hard ground to wait for the coffee to brew. He had been anxious to get out of town, but sitting here now on the cold ground he missed the warmth of the cabin where he had spent the last two nights. No, not just the cabin, he missed the company. He would have liked to have had a chance to spend more time with Annie if the situation had been different. It always seemed to be that way. It was the main reason he rarely let himself get involved with the women he met.

An hour later, Heyes sat drinking warm coffee and staring off into the dark night. There were plenty of stars out, which meant there probably wouldn't be any rain soon. Rain would have made it harder for the posse to track them. This was Colorado however, and the weather could change suddenly. In the distance, he heard the low rumble that he recognized as the sound of a steam engine. _How many times had he heard that sound while lying in wait for a train he planned to rob?_

Suddenly he bolted upright as though awoken from a dream. _There's a train running through these mountains! Tomorrow we'll ride out and look for the tracks and if our luck holds out maybe we'll find them. If the train is moving on an uphill grade it might be slow enough for us to jump on. _That hope made him rest a little easier as he settled in to keep watch.

-oooOOOooo-

"Kid," Heyes nudged his sleeping partner and Curry groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Heyes? What's wrong? Where are…oh," he grimaced and closed his eyes.

When he finally opened his eyes again they were clearer and focused on Heyes.

"The sun's up. Why didn't you wake me sooner?" Curry questioned, struggling to sit up and wincing with the movement of his injured shoulder. "Any sign of the posse?" he added, looking anxiously at Heyes.

"No, none, and Kid? There's a train that runs through these mountains, I don't think the tracks are too far away. If we ride out maybe we can find 'em."

Curry gave his partner a skeptical look. "You want us to hop a train?"

Heyes smiled one of his 'trust me' smiles. "Yeah," he replied brightly.

Curry blinked and shook his head slowly. "I dunno Heyes," he said wearily. "I feel kinda dizzy."

Heyes' expression fell. "What's wrong Kid? Fever you think?"

"Maybe," Curry said simply.

"Well then all the more reason to get on that train. You can rest and you won't have to sit in the saddle for a while."

Curry nodded. "Okay, Heyes, if you say so. You got anything cooking on that fire?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure thing, Kid, I've got coffee and some beans warmed up." He smiled, pleased to hear the Kid had an appetite.

They ate quietly and then broke camp, trying to erase as much evidence of their stay as possible.

The ride that day went even slower than the day before, with more frequent breaks for the Kid to rest. Heyes was beginning to worry that his partner would need to stop for the day before they found the train tracks. To his credit, Curry had not complained once, simply ridden steadily along, but Heyes could tell that the man was far from feeling well.

"There!" Heyes shouted suddenly and Curry looked up startled; then smiled.

"Heyes—I don't believe it. You were right. Railroad tracks!"

Both men urged their horses into a quicker pace as they headed for the tracks. Once reaching them, they dismounted and stood looking up and down the clearing that had been cut for the train.

"How often does it come through do you figure?" Curry asked.

"I don't know. Once a night I hope?" Heyes said with an optimistic grin.

Curry nodded and looked thoughtfully along the tracks. "Up there do you think? In front of those rocks?"

Heyes nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I think that's the best spot."

They mounted up again and rode to the spot that their experience told them would be easiest to board a moving train. The rocks would give them cover as the train approached. The engineer or conductor would be looking out ahead of the train, but once the engine passed by they would be safe approaching the train—they hoped.

"Try and get some rest," Heyes told his friend. "Last night the train came through here in the middle of the night, so no sense standing around."

"_If_ it comes through at the same time tonight," Curry said giving his partner a worried look.

"Right," Heyes said with a nod. "We just have to hope that it does."

Both men stretched out on the bed of pine needles beneath the trees and closed their eyes. It had been an exhausting few days. Heyes' mind wandered again to the new bounty out on them. _Who was offering it? They were hardly even a threat anymore. Why so much money? It didn't make any sense, and he knew that where that much money was concerned—there had to be a reason. What was the missing piece?_ He'd have to spend some time figuring that out once the Kid was better. For now all he could think about was getting out of the mountains and getting Kid the rest he needed.


	6. The Train

Chapter 6 – The Train

"Kid. Kid, wake up," Heyes gently shook his partner by his good shoulder, not wanting to cause the man any more pain than necessary.

"Wha—what is it," Curry asked groggily.

"Train's coming, we've gotta get ready."

Kid groaned and sat up slowly, stretching his sore arm a bit.

Heyes kept a concerned eye on the other man while he stood and picked up the saddle bags with their few possessions. "I guess the horses will make their way back to town, not much we can do about that," he commented with a tinge of regret.

"What?" Curry demanded after realizing his partner had been watching him.

"Nothing," Heyes said sharply and looked away.

"No, what? You don't think I can make it, do you? You think I'll hold you back?" Curry asked gruffly.

"No, 'course not. I just want to make sure we're both on that train."

"I'm fine, Heyes. Would you stop being a mother hen? I can take care of myself just fine."

"Oh yeah, have you forgotten that just two days ago…" his voice trailed off.

"Two days ago I had a hunk of metal in my shoulder that wouldn't have been there if—"

"If what?" Heyes cut in.

"Never mind, I'm just sore and tired and I wanna get outta here. I wanna stop runnin' and bein' chased and never bein' able to do anything about it. Sometimes I wonder if we'd have been any worse off if we were still robbin' these trains rather than jumping on 'em in the middle of the night."

"It's too late for second thoughts, Kid." Heyes tried to sound convincing, but in truth, he had been having the same thoughts lately. "We'd better make our move or we'll be sitting here another day."

Both men began to run along toward the train. The train had slowed for the steep grade and the full moon gave the night sky enough light to see the boxcars clearly as they rolled by.

"There," Heyes said, pointing to an open door, "that's our ride."

Curry jumped first and Heyes gave him a boost into the car. Running alongside, Heyes jumped and easily pulled himself into the boxcar. Curry had moved inside and sat leaning against the wall with his back to door. "Kid?" Heyes asked, becoming concerned when his partner didn't even look back to see if he'd made it on safely.

"Just lemme rest, Heyes," Curry muttered without turning around.

"Kid, are you sure you're ok?" Heyes asked again, his alarm mounting as he put a hand on his partner's shoulder.

Curry winced and Heyes felt a slick wetness on the Kid's shirt.

"Dammit," Heyes swore, "you're bleeding. You must have ripped some of those stitches out."

"Not much we can do about it now," Curry mumbled, his voice despondent.

"Let me take a look."

"No, Heyes," Curry said more forcefully. "Just lemme sleep."

With a reluctant sigh, Heyes settled down next his partner. _I might as well get a little rest, since they won't be checking these cars until morning._

-oooOOOooo-

The sun was already beating against the side of the boxcar when Heyes awoke the next morning. He blinked, and followed his first instinct—checking his surroundings. The train, he remembered. He and the Kid had jumped it late last night. "Kid?" Another instinct jerked Heyes instantly and fully awake. Where was the Kid?

Sitting up, he pulled on his boots and looked carefully around. The car was empty except for a couple of bales of hay at one end which he and Kid had scattered just enough to soften the hard floor of the car. The train had stopped, which meant they were probably in a station somewhere, although he wasn't quite sure which town. Well, the fact that he was still in the car meant the railroad guards hadn't grabbed Kid or they'd have taken him too. _I guess that means the Kid went out alone this morning, what was he thinking…_

Just as Heyes reached to slide the door, someone began to pull it back from the other side. Heyes stood against the wall and waited.

A familiar head peered in.

"Heyes, you in there?" Curry whispered.

Heyes let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Of course I'm in here. Why aren't you in here?" Heyes snapped.

"Well that's not a very nice way to talk to the man that just brought you breakfast," Curry said playfully.

Heyes stared at his partner for a moment, amazed at the transformation. "Kid, a few hours ago you looked like you were on death's door. What happened?"

"Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same thing. I woke up feeling pretty good. My shoulder had stopped bleeding and I was hungry. You were the one dead to the world, so I thought I'd see where we were. Turns out it's a sleepy little trading post with one general store. The trains all come through here and head out in different directions. I took some of that money you won last week and acted like I was one of the regular passengers. I bought a new shirt and some breakfast. It's not bacon and eggs, but it'll do," he smiled and held out two apples and a loaf of bread.

Heyes gratefully tore off a hunk of bread and bit into the apple.

"Anybody look at you funny?" Heyes asked in between bites.

"Nope, two different trains came in last night, and they both head out in different directions later this morning'. I figure everybody just thought I'd been on the other one."

"Well, that's lucky anyway," Heyes relaxed slightly as he thought about this.

"I guess they haven't figured out we came this way yet, or maybe they gave up."

"Hmph, I doubt we got that lucky. We'd better get tickets on one of these two trains though, if we don't want to sleep another night on this hay."

"Already thought of that," Curry reached into his pocket and pulled out two train tickets, grimacing as he bent his shoulder.

Heyes looked down at the tickets. "You sure I've only been asleep for a few hours? You sure seem to have gotten a lot done."

"I've been flat on my back for most of the last three days. It was about time I started pullin' my weight again. 'Sides, we wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for me," he added, looking ashamed.

"What are you talking about? You didn't hire that posse," Heyes scoffed.

"No, but I got careless and got myself shot. What was I thinkin', that I could hold off a whole posse with a few shots?" Curry muttered.

"Your fault? Geez, Kid, it was my stupid plan, I'm the one that got you shot."

Curry managed a half-hearted smile. "Ok, you win, it was your fault."

Heyes looked at the ticket the Kid had handed him. "San Francisco, huh? Okay, that just might work."

"What do you mean?"

"There's something you don't know. Something I found out while you were getting your beauty sleep back at Annabelle's place," Heyes said, somberly.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"There was a reason that posse was so persistent, and a reason they were shooting to kill."

"Posses always shoot to kill, don't they?" Curry started to shrug to emphasize his point, but winced when a sharp pain shot through his injured shoulder.

Heyes caught his partner's pained expression but pretended not to notice. "Someone has added a little incentive to the hunt."

"What kind of incentive?"

"A five thousand dollar bonus if we're brought in by the end of the year, and they prefer us dead rather than alive."

Curry stared back at his friend and seemed to reflect on that for a moment. "Can they do that?"

"Not officially. But unofficially? Well, the men in that posse knew what the bonus was for."

"You do have a plan, don't you?"

"Of course I do Kid," Heyes said with a confident smile.

"Good," Curry said quietly. "I was worried there for a minute."


	7. The Escape

Chapter 7 - The Escape

Later that afternoon, the two former outlaws were seated in the coach of a passenger train traveling west through the Rocky Mountains. They had entered the coach separately and chosen seats in different rows so they would not appear to be traveling together. Heyes had insisted on taking the precautions, even though he would have much preferred his partner's company on the long train ride. He slouched in his seat and read a newspaper that he had purchased before boarding the train. A casual glance toward the rear of the coach told him that Curry was still napping. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as the train left the station.

Heyes returned to his paper, only to be interrupted by a loud whistle from the train. That and the distinctive sounds of braking told Heyes they would most likely be pulling into a station in a few minutes. He knew there were no large towns in the mountains they were traveling through, but he also expected the train would be making a few stops along the way for water and other supplies.

As the train slowed and they approached a tall water tower, Heyes indulged in another look back to check on Curry. His heart rate quickened slightly when he saw that the Kid had awoken and was sitting forward in his seat and staring intently out of the window. He strained to look past the passengers and out of the rear windows of the coach to see what had captured his partner's interest—and then he saw them. A small group of men were riding quickly toward the train.

Heyes shifted nervously in his seat as he shot a furtive glance at his partner. Curry continued to stare at the approaching men. Running was out of the question. The men, if they were looking for them, could chase them down in no time. There was always a chance the riders weren't even looking for them. Fat chance. Their only hope now was if the men didn't know them by sight and they could pass as regular passengers.

The train finally came to a complete stop and Heyes risked another glace toward Curry, who met his eyes with a look Heyes recognized. The Kid was ready for a fight. Taking on that group would be suicide, even if the Kid was in prime shape—which he was not. Heyes let out a frustrated breath and shook his head slightly, making his point. Curry returned Heyes' look and nodded almost imperceptibly. Heyes relaxed slightly and tried to appear only mildly curious when a tall man with a sheriff's badge entered the car. Two other men followed. All three were armed.

"We're looking for a couple of outlaws," the sheriff stated casually, addressing the passengers. "Now we're pretty sure they aren't on this train so there's nothin' to be concerned about. We just want to ask each of you if you've seen any suspicious characters in any of the towns you've been in the last couple of days. We're also gonna make sure they're not hiding out in any of the boxcars and then we'll let you be on your way." The man flashed a friendly smile but Heyes sank down a little in his seat and grimaced.

The three men made their way to the back of the car, giving each passenger a cursory glance as they walked past. They began interviewing passengers at the back and worked their way forward. Heyes forced himself not to watch when they reached his partner's seat. At first he couldn't quite make out any of the words, but then he heard Curry's voice rise.

"Ah don't undahstand why you're asking this train full of nice people to do your job for you. Aren't you paid to protect the people of this fine state?"

Heyes chuckled softly to himself when he heard Curry using the southern accent that he frequently adopted when they were pulling some type of con. The sheriff uttered some words of apology and moved on to the next row of passengers. _One more close call and one more capture averted_, Heyes thought grimly. Now it was his turn.

"Howdy gents." The words were accompanied by a friendly nod.

"I'd like to see your ticket please," the sheriff stated, his tone all business.

"Sure thing." Heyes opened his wallet and fanned through the large bills he'd recently placed in the front. He stopped fanning before he came to the smaller bills, hoping to give the appearance that they were all large. Lawmen were usually a little intimidated by, and less suspicious of, wealthy men, he calculated. At least he hoped this one was. In fact, you might even say he was betting his life on it.

"Ah yes, I forgot, I didn't put it in here. It's in my coat pocket." He reached into his coat which was folded beside him and withdrew the ticket. "Here you go," he said, offering the ticket to the lawman.

The sheriff studied the ticket for a minute and then looked back at the seated man. "You bought this ticket just up the line in Junction Springs? Ain't much around there. Where were you staying?"

"Oh, no, I originally boarded in Denver. I intended to head north to Cheyenne, but I had a change of plans."

"Uh huh," the sheriff looked unconvinced as he studied Heyes. Their exchange was interrupted by a shout from outside the train.

"We got one! Over here!" The passengers turned to search the station area to see where the shouts were coming from.

"Sorry to trouble you," the sheriff muttered as he drew his revolver and hurried toward the exit at the end of the car.

All of the other passengers crowded to the side of the car to see what was happening. Heyes risked a quick glance at Curry, who shrugged and shook his head.

Two men appeared, dragging a third man between them.

"I think it's Kid Curry," one of the passengers exclaimed. Heyes swallowed hard and strained to hear what was being said outside.

"They pulled him out of one of the boxcars. He must have hopped the train," another passenger announced.

The real Kid Curry's face was ashen but Heyes couldn't tell if it was because his shoulder was hurting him or because of the scene unfolding beside the train.

"He was alone. Nobody else in any of the cars," called one of the deputies.

Heyes quietly made his way to the end of the coach with the other passengers, where he could see and hear more of the conversation outside. The man being held did resemble the Kid slightly, but he looked a little older and considerably more trail worn. _Just a drifter or maybe a small time thief,_ Heyes supposed. The man was fervently denying that he was Kid Curry or knew anything about the whereabouts of any other outlaws, especially Hannibal Heyes.

"Was he shot? Is he dead? Where'd you leave him?" the other lawmen continued to pepper the stunned man with questions. Some questions were punctuated with a shake or shove. One of the deputies had produced a pair of manacles and was securing the man's hands.

"Hey Bill, maybe you got a better shot in than you thought. It musta been Heyes you hit," a tall lanky man clapped a dark-haired, stocky man on the back. Heyes froze. _So these two men had been part of the posse that had pursued them through the mountains and shot the Kid. Just how close had they gotten? Couldn't they tell this wasn't one of the men they'd been chasing? Furthermore, would they recognize him if they saw him?_ He was immediately thankful that only the sheriff and his deputies had entered the car to interview passengers.

Heyes wondered if the Kid had heard the comment. Judging by the furious look on the Kid's face, he had. Heyes made his way through the group and caught his partner's eye, sending a silent but stern 'stay out of this' message. Curry glared back but made no other move to call any attention to himself.

After a few more minutes the train conductor appeared at the entrance to the car. "Everybody take your seats please. We're going to be on our way. Nothing more to see here," he said dismissively.

Curry sat down and Heyes slipped into the seat next to him, reasoning they should be safe for at least a little while.

"Relax and don't do anything stupid," Heyes muttered under his breath.

"What do you think I'm gonna do?" Curry gave his partner an incredulous look. "Run out there and tell them they've got the wrong man? Maybe go up the guy who shot me and return the favor?"

"No, but you're looking pretty rattled," Heyes answered.

"Well I got reason to be, don't ya think?"

"Yeah, you do," Heyes conceded.

"That sheriff wasn't one of 'em, was he?" Curry asked.

"No, they were all bounty hunters. At least that was the story Annabelle heard."

"You think maybe those lawmen with 'em will keep that guy alive until he can prove he ain't me?"

Heyes shrugged. "For his sake, and ours, I hope so," he said bleakly.

"You think we'll be safe until they find out?"

Heyes shrugged again. "Depends on how many more bounty hunters and posses are out looking, and how long it takes them to hear about this."

"Yeah, and they're still lookin' for you," Curry said sympathetically.

"Thanks," Heyes replied sarcastically. He watched as his partner leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. His face took on a pained look, but after a few moments he relaxed and took a deep breath.

"How are you really doing," Heyes asked quietly.

"Fine," Curry muttered, but did not open his eyes.

The whistle blew a long blast and then the train began to move.

-oooOOOooo-

The next two days moved along uneventfully as the train made its way through northern Utah and Nevada, and finally through the rugged Sierra Nevada before descending into the lush central valley of California. To Heyes' great satisfaction, his partner had slept much of the way and seemed to be regaining some of his strength.

The two had struck a public conversation on the second day of the ride, introducing themselves to each other in front of the other passengers and now felt safe conversing quietly at the back of the car.

"Any time now, Heyes," Curry said impatiently.

"Any time what?" Heyes asked innocently.

"You can let me in on your plan for how we're gonna to get out of this."

"Well, Kid, I've been thinking about that," Heyes began and put his hand to his chin.

Curry gave his partner a long-suffering look and then reached up to rub his injured shoulder. "Itches," he said absently.

"Oh," Heyes said suddenly, remembering Annabelle's instructions. "I have to take your stitches out."

"You what?" Curry shouted, and then remembering where he was, quickly assumed a casual pose. A few passengers turned around, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary, they quickly ignored them again.

"She gave me scissors. I have to cut them out."

"No way in—" Curry began, then stopped when he realized his partner was serious. "Okay, do it this afternoon after we get to San Francisco."

"We'll go over the plan then too," Heyes assured him.

"Fine," Curry mumbled as the two returned to their separate seats.

The train pulled into the station at 5:00 p.m. and the two former outlaws walked casually off of the train and into the busy station. A large man in a three piece suit bumped into Curry and continued toward the train without any attempt at an apology.

Heyes watched as his partner regained his composure.

"Let's get outta here," Curry whispered to his partner as he brushed past him and walked stiffly toward the exit. Heyes followed and caught up with him just outside of the station.

"You could have looked a little more casual in there," Heyes admonished. "You acted like you just robbed a bank or something."

"Very funny," Curry glared at his friend. "Hey, did that guy look familiar to you?"

"Who?" Heyes asked.

"That big guy. The one that bumped into me."

"He didn't recognize you did he?"

"No he didn't even look at me. He just bumped into me and kept walkin'."

"Then what are you worried about?" Heyes smiled and patted his friend gently on his good shoulder. "Let's find a room and get something to eat. Tomorrow morning I want to pay our old friend Silky a visit and see if he can help us out with our little problem."

"Little?" Curry nearly choked on the word.

"Sure, we've been in worse situations."

"Silky can't take that bounty off our heads, or call off the bounty hunters. What do you expect him to do?"

"Well, for starters, help us figure out what we know that's worth five thousand dollars."

Curry stared open mouthed at his partner. "What we know?"

"Sure, why else would somebody want us dead?"

"I thought the banks and trains were offering the reward to stop us from robbin' them."

"We've already stopped robbing them. So why now? Why not just let us disappear? If we disappear they don't even have to pay out the reward. Or get amnesty—there have been rumors about that lately. Either way their trains are safe. Why do they need us dead?"

"You're the man with the answers," Curry prompted.

"Right, I have the answer. I just have to figure out what it is."

"First let's get a room and bath. I could use a bath," Curry grumbled.

"As a matter of fact, I was going to mention that," Heyes agreed.

"Heyes, would you just…just…get a bath too," Curry gave his partner an exasperated look and then started walking up the street.

"Yeah, I'm glad you're feeling more like your old self," Heyes smiled and followed.


	8. Silky

Chapter 8 – Silky

The morning was cool and a heavy fog hung in the air giving the street an ominous appearance.

"Heyes, I can barely see across the street," Curry complained after the two set out for their friend's home. "And the smell last night when we went lookin' for a card game…" he muttered as he crinkled his nose.

"It's just fish, Kid. It always smells like that where lots of fish are brought in."

"Not the rivers I'm used to fishin' in," Curry objected.

"No," Heyes agreed. "Not the rivers around where we grew up."

Curry fell suddenly quiet. "Heyes," he said after a minute. "You think it'll ever be like that again?"

"Like what, Kid?" Heyes stopped and turned to search his friend's face.

"Simple," Curry answered.

"Hmph," Heyes snorted. "I don't remember anything very simple about it. The war was going on. Men were killing each other. Towns and families were torn apart."

"I guess," Curry agreed finally. "I just don't remember it always being that way."

Heyes turned and started walking again. "I do," he said quietly. "But maybe it won't always be."

"Hey, watch out!" Heyes shouted and grabbed his friend's arm, pulling him toward the edge of the street as a horse-drawn carriage raced past. "Those buggy drivers can't see us in this fog."

"I wish I hadn't let you talk me into leaving our guns in the room," Curry groused.

"This isn't Dodge City or Tombstone," Heyes said. "Nobody in San Francisco walks around the city with gun belts on. They have a whole police force to keep order. We'd have attracted the attention of every policeman in the city."

Curry stared after the buggy as it disappeared into the fog. "Why does everyone like it here so much?"

Heyes shrugged. "It's a big city. Fancy houses, fancy clothes, lots of good food, and lots of women," he added with a grin. "I could get used to it."

Curry let out a laugh. "Yeah, it's got women alright," he agreed with a smile, remembering some of the women he had seen the night before.

Heyes led the way down a cobblestone street and up the steps to the home of their old friend and retired con artist, Silky O'Sullivan.

"We're here to see Mr. O'Sullivan," Heyes told the young Chinese man that opened the door.

"No Mr. O'Sullivan," the man replied and attempted to close the door.

Heyes inserted his foot between the door and frame. "Tell him Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones are here to see him," he insisted in a loud voice.

"No," the young man said again, this time more firmly.

"Silky!" Heyes called out through the slightly open doorway. "Are you in there?"

Curry stood away from the door and glanced nervously up and down the street, wishing the fog would lift so he could get a better idea whether they were being watched or followed.

Finally, as Heyes was about to relent and allow the door to close, a familiar voice shouted from inside the house. "Heyes, is that you?"

Both men on the stoop flinched and looked anxiously around to see if anyone might have heard.

"Silky, it's Smith and Jones, remember?" Heyes called again and smiled pleasantly at the young man attending the door.

"It's alright, Lee, these men are friends of mine," the older gentleman said as he welcomed his guests.

Lee assessed the two men and then turned to his employer.

Silky gestured toward the front door. "Keep an eye out and let me know if anyone comes looking around the house. We'll be in the study."

As soon as the three men were behind closed doors, Silky addressed his guests. "Boy am I glad to see you two," he exclaimed with a sigh of relief. "The newspaper yesterday said Kid Curry had been captured outside of Denver, and another one said a posse shot and killed Hannibal Heyes."

"Well, not exactly," the Kid hedged.

"I should say not," Silky laughed. "You two are alive and kicking," he punctuated this with a clap on the back to Curry.

Curry gave a loud cry of pain and stumbled forward. Heyes gasped; his mouth dropped open but no words came out as he caught his friend and supported him for a minute while Curry steadied himself.

Silky stared at the pair in shock and Lee burst into the room.

"Just a little misunderstanding," Silky assured the anxious man.

Looking unconvinced, Lee gave a small bow and left the men alone.

"He thinks I need looking after," Silky explained with a shrug, then squinted his eyes and looked at Curry.

"What in dang blazes is wrong with you?" he demanded. "I didn't hit you that hard."

"I—was the one—that got shot," Curry choked as he glared at Silky.

"Oh," Silky replied wide eyed, suddenly realizing what he'd done. "Well, you looked perfectly fine," he added defensively. "Did I hurt you?"

Despite his ashen face, Curry gave a slight shake of his head. "What do you think?" he growled through teeth clenched tight with pain.

"I'll pour you a drink," Silky offered.

"Look, Silky, we need your help," Heyes interjected as he guided his partner to a nearby chair. "What can you tell us about this new reward offered for us?"

"The five thousand dollars? Well, I heard rumors. People talk."

"What do they say?" Heyes asked quietly.

"That somebody wants you dead."

"Does that somebody have a name?"

Silky nodded. "Thomas Ames, president of Midwest Railroad."

Heyes looked disappointed. "Well nothing new there then I guess," he said and looked away.

"I didn't say the railroad, I said Ames, personally," Silky corrected.

"Why?" Curry asked, the color beginning to return to his face.

"I'm not sure, but he might think that if he personally gets rid of you two, it will help his chances of getting his deal through with Central Railway."

"What deal?" Heyes asked.

"Boy, you two don't get out much do you? Everybody knows Midwest is about to merge with Central. Ames is hoping for a top position and a lot of stock in the new company. He stands to make a fortune if the deal goes through. There's even talk that he might go into politics. He'd be the man that resurrected Midwest Railroad and saved the jobs of all of the workers."

"What do you mean resurrected? What was wrong with it?" Curry asked.

"Well, you two stole so much money from them that they nearly went bankrupt," Silky answered with a hint of admiration in his voice.

"We did what?" Heyes asked with a laugh. "We never got any big hauls from Midwest trains. We did better with the banks."

Silky looked confused. "Midwest claims you stole nearly two million dollars from their trains."

This time it was Heyes' face that turned white. "They say what?" he asked in disbelief.

"You heard me," Silky returned.

"Silky, we never got more than five thousand dollars off any one of those trains of theirs," Curry explained. "Sure, there were always stories about big payrolls and investment money, but it was never there."

"Silky, do we look like men with that kind of money?" Heyes asked.

"Well, no, maybe not now," Silky allowed. "But back then…" his voice trailed off.

"What do you think we did with that much money?" Heyes demanded.

"Ah come on, Heyes, I know you like to play cards, maybe a few high stakes games, the Kid likes the ladies, maybe a few presents, it happens."

Heyes looked as though he'd just been slapped. "Silky, I win when I play cards. I don't lose. I certainly never lost that kind of money at cards."

"And if I had that kind of money I'd be living it up somewhere, not eating trail dust getting shot at by posses," Curry added.

"Midwest was about to file for bankruptcy last year. They hadn't paid most of their employees in six months," Silky continued.

"Well, if we didn't steal it from them, where did all their money go?" Curry asked.

"Well, Kid, I think we just found out why Thomas Ames wants us dead." Heyes' face lit up with a smile as a plan began to form.

They spent the rest of the day learning everything Silky knew about Midwest Railroad, the financial troubles the company had reported, and the details of the upcoming merger.

Lee interrupted their brainstorming and brought them dinner. "Lee might be able to be of some help," Silky offered after pouring his friends a glass of brandy. "He knows his way around the city and knows how to keep his mouth shut. He also spent a few years working for the railroad and he's not exactly a big supporter, if you know what I mean."

"We can use all the help we can get," Heyes said, still worried that Curry was not completely back to full strength. "Do you know where Ames lives?"

"Sure. Everyone knows that. It's not far from here. It's one of the biggest houses on Nob Hill. I'll write the address down for you."

"Thanks, Silky. I think we should probably get going back to the hotel," Heyes said, pocketing Ames' address.

"You're not going by there tonight are you?" Silky asked as his two visitors stood to leave.

"Thanks Silky. We'll be in touch," Heyes replied.

"What are you going to do," the older man asked, wrinkling his brow.

"Try and find a way to prove Ames is a crook," Heyes said simply.

"It's not like you two can go to the law."

"No," Heyes agreed.

Reading the expression on Curry's face, Silky pinned the other man with a hard look. "And you can't just kill him."

"Why not?" Curry asked.

"Well—because you can't. That's why. There's other ways to do things."

"He seems to think he can just kill us." Curry challenged.

Silky looked at Curry and scowled.

"Don't worry Silky, we won't do anything stupid," Heyes assured the older man, and the two former outlaws stepped out into the cool night air.

Ten minutes later both men were standing just inside the gates of a large stone mansion belonging to Thomas Ames.

"I wish we had our guns," Curry muttered.

"Probably a good idea we don't," Heyes observed darkly.

"It's never a good idea not to have our guns," Curry disagreed.

"We're just taking a look," Heyes reminded him. "We'll come back and next time we'll get a proper look inside. We just have to do our homework first."

"Like find out when he's comin' home late?"

"That would be a good start."

"I'd like to have a little chat with the man," Curry said, his hand unconsciously reaching for the gun that was currently in his hotel room.

"Aw come on," Heyes protested. "Did you see anyone on the street today wearing a six-shooter? We'd have stuck out like sore thumbs."

"I know, but I it doesn't mean I like it."

"Let's go on back to the hotel and get some sleep. I've seen what I wanted to see here," Heyes said, and headed back toward the street.

Two blocks later, Curry stopped suddenly. "Hey, did you see that guy?" Curry asked, suddenly pointing toward the corner.

"What guy?" Heyes asked.

"A big guy. He looked straight at us and ran back around the corner."

"How can you see anything? It's dark and there's no street lamp down there," Heyes said, skepticism obvious.

"I know he was lookin' at us. I can feel it," Curry said angrily.

"Okay then, let's just get back to the hotel," Heyes told him.

Years of living on the run and trying to stay out of sight had become a habit and they instinctively chose narrow alleys and back roads for their return. They were making their way down one particularly dark alley when shots rang out.

The two men dove for cover behind a stack of crates and barrels and Heyes immediately regretted his decision to leave both guns behind in the hotel room.

More shots fired, hitting close to where the two men huddled. So far, both men were relieved to find they were untouched, but unarmed as they were it was only a matter of time before the shooter reloaded and came closer.

Three more shots fired, followed immediately by another six. The sound of running and scuffling could be heard, and then silence. The two men behind the crates looked at each other in bewilderment. "Another shooter?" Heyes asked. Curry nodded somberly.

"Mr. Smith, Mr. Jones, are you there?"

"Lee?" Heyes asked in surprise, and slowly stood up.

"Are you hurt?" Lee asked.

"No, just a little dirty," Curry replied, brushing off his coat and pants. "I think we were in the garbage," he added, sounding more annoyed than afraid.

"What are you doing here?" Heyes asked cautiously.

"Mr. Silky asked me to keep an eye on you. I think it was a good idea."

"Yeah, good ole' Silky," Heyes agreed.

"What happened to the guy shootin' at us?" Curry asked.

"He ran off that way," Lee pointed up the street.

"Well, we can't follow him tonight unarmed," Heyes observed.

Curry grunted his agreement, still angry about the situation.

"Did you get a look at him?" Heyes asked.

Lee shook his head. "It was too dark."

"What about size? Was he tall or short?" Heyes asked again.

"Not too tall, about average, but big—wide." Lee gestured with his arms out to his sides.

"The big guy I saw followin' us," Curry said immediately. "It could've even been the same guy that bumped into me as the station."

"Yeah, maybe so," Heyes acknowledged.

"Do you think he followed us all the way here from Denver?" Curry asked, incredulous. "On the train?"

"Maybe, or maybe somebody wired ahead and said we'd be arriving in San Francisco," Heyes suggested.

"Why not just tell the local police?" Lee questioned. "They could have met the train and arrested you."

Seeing the other men's nervous reaction, Lee continued quickly. "I know who you really are, but don't worry. Mr. Silky's friends are my friends."

The two outlaws looked at each other. They really had no choice but to trust the man, and he had just saved their lives.

"If Ames is guilty of embezzling from the railroad and he thinks we could expose him, then he wouldn't care if we're arrested or not. He'd just want us to disappear," Heyes explained.

Lee nodded in understanding. "In San Francisco, men sometimes end up in the bay and nobody ever finds the body."

"You speak pretty good English," Heyes observed.

Lee laughed. "I was born in San Francisco. Most Chinese came to work on the railroad, but my parents came years earlier. They worked for a family here in the city and I grew up playing with their children."

A dark look came over the young man's face. "That doesn't make any difference to most people though. All they see is a Chinaman. I found that out when I took a job with the railroad. I came home and started working for Mr. Silky. He is different."

Heyes nodded. "That he is, and if he trusts you and that's good enough for us."

Heyes glanced at the small hand gun that Lee still held. "Do you think you could get us a couple of those? They'd be a lot easier to conceal than the ones we have."

Lee was silent for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I know somebody that could get you two small guns. I'll talk to him tomorrow. You shouldn't go back to your hotel tonight. Someone could be waiting for you there."

"We have to," Curry said quickly. "Our things are there."

Heyes knew what Curry meant. They might have to carry smaller guns in the city, but Kid Curry would never leave his Colt behind.

"We'll be careful," Heyes assured Lee.

"I will go with you to get your things, then take you back to Mr. Silky's," Lee insisted.

"No, we can't stay at his place, it would put him in danger too. Plus, if these men know much about us, they might look there."

Lee considered this. "Alright, I know a place you can stay. It's a hotel near Chinatown and I have friends that can keep an eye on your room."

The three men carefully made their way to the hotel, and after reassuring themselves that there was no trap set in the room, retrieved their belongings. Lee took them to the hotel and made sure they were checked in before leaving for his own home nearby.

"Think we should sleep in shifts?" Curry asked, when the two were finally alone and settled in their room.

"Yes, Kid, I think we should," Heyes said solemnly, and proceeded to take the first watch.


	9. The Break in

Chapter 9 – The Break-in

It was well past sun up when the two former outlaws made their way out of the hotel. They had decided over breakfast, that simply showing up for a visit with Thomas Ames would be useless—and possibly even deadly. Instead, they headed back toward their old friend's home.

When the two men arrived, Silky greeted them at the door. "Lee told me what happened last night," he said in a rush of words. "Are you two okay? Come in. Sit down. Have you had breakfast?"

"Slow down, Silky, we're okay. We could use some breakfast though," Heyes answered.

Lee came in from the kitchen and brought all three of them coffee. Before returning to prepare breakfast, he gave Heyes a slight wink and made the thumb and forefinger gesture of a gun.

Heyes made eye contact with the young man and raised his eyebrows. _Had Lee found hand guns for them this quickly?_

Lee nodded slightly as he turned to go. _This man really was resourceful!_ Heyes' opinion of Lee went up another notch.

Heyes smiled and turned to his host. "Silky, did you come up with any ideas? How do we get to him?"

"Well, since you asked," Silky responded smugly. "I've been thinking about that ever since you two left yesterday."

Heyes grinned and exchanged a glance with his partner.

"What you need is leverage," the former master con artist said brightly.

Heyes gave an impatient sigh. "Yeah I know that, but how Silky? What are his habits, his weaknesses, his vices?"

"Well, he gambles," Silky said. "Rumor is he was real deep in debt a couple of years ago, but then everything got worked out."

Heyes frowned. "That won't help. I can't play cards with him, or run a con on him, it'd be too risky with all of his people out looking for us. And besides, it would take too long."

Silky looked offended. "Well I know that," he scoffed. "But if you could prove he paid off his debts right after his train was supposedly robbed of about the same amount…" he let his voice trail off.

"That could work!" Curry exclaimed suddenly, and then frowned when he saw his partner's solemn face. "Couldn't it?"

Heyes slowly nodded. "Maybe. But it would have to be more than a theory. We can't just go to the law and explain it to them."

"But if Ames paid off two million dollars in debt wouldn't he have some kind of receipt?" Curry said hopefully.

"Maybe. Maybe not," Heyes said and began to pace. "But, he might have something we can use, some kind of evidence that he was keeping as an insurance policy or leverage on someone else."

"He might keep something like that in his safe," Silky suggested. "He has one in his study on the first floor."

"How do you know he has a safe, Silky?" Heyes feigned a shocked look. "I thought you were retired."

The older man glared back. "I am, but I ain't deaf and blind. I still hear things."

"So we break into the safe?" Curry asked. He said it so matter-of-factly that Heyes began to wonder if the wound in the Kid's shoulder was affecting his judgment.

"It will be dangerous. If we get caught, our amnesty will be history. We could also end up dead if Ames or one of his boys finds us."

Curry stared at his partner. "Just livin's getting' to be dangerous. If we don't find a way to call off Ames and his henchmen-we WILL be dead! Besides, I'll be there."

The look in the Kid's eyes told Heyes that he would be there alright—armed and dangerous. It was a look he knew well from their days at Devil's Hole.

"Alright, we'll go in tonight and start with the safe, his desk, and anything we can find to look in. Anything else we should know?" Heyes looked again to Silky.

"Lee might be able to help. He told me this morning that he has a friend that does Ames' laundry. He knows the layout of the house."

Heyes smiled. "Let's talk to him."

-oooOOOooo-

Armed with both their own six-shooters and the two small forty-five caliber handguns that Lee had procured for them, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry prepared to break into a private residence.

"I can't believe it's come to this," Heyes lamented as he pulled himself up and over the stone wall surrounding the property.

"Well, we didn't cause it," Curry said, hesitating as he looked up at the wall with trepidation.

"You sure you're up to this?" Heyes asked, suddenly worried that his partner's shoulder was not healed enough for a climb like this.

"A little late to worry about that, don't ya think? Just gimme a hand up."

Heyes reached down and hoisted his partner up by his good arm.

The window presented no problem and Heyes easily slipped the latch with the thin metal tool he'd brought along. The room they entered did indeed appear to be a study or library, with book shelves floor to ceiling and a large desk in the center. Lee had described the floor plan just right. Heyes lit a lantern and then moved quietly through the room, searching for anything that looked like it could conceal a safe. Curry went to the door and opened it a crack, peering out into the hallway to make sure their entrance had not been detected.

"Found it," Heyes whispered from the far corner of the room.

Curry glanced over to see his partner crouched in the corner. He took a deep breath and laid his hand on the butt of his revolver. He never welcomed trouble, but if it came he was ready. He estimated nearly ten minutes had gone by before he heard the sound of the safe door swinging open. "About time," he whispered.

Another five minutes went by as Heyes read through the papers found in the safe. "Well?" Curry whispered again.

"Nothing yet," Heyes responded. "He has a nice ruby ring, though."

"Better hurry, we been here too long," Curry shot back.

"Gotta find something first," Heyes said quietly.

"Uh oh," Curry said closing the door to just a crack. "Someone's coming."

Heyes quickly extinguished the lamp and crouched behind the desk.

Curry stepped behind the door and closed it the rest of the way without making a sound. He heard footsteps approaching. He held his breath as the sound neared, but the footsteps continued. Both men remained still for another few minutes and then Curry opened the door a crack again. Seeing no one, he nodded to Heyes, who lit the lamp again and opened the last folder from the safe.

"Let's go," Heyes finally said, swinging the door closed and returning to the window.

"Got somethin'?" Curry asked, his impatience evident.

"I'm not sure yet," Heyes said, and frowned. "I'll figure it out back in the room." He patted a stack of papers that he had slipped into his jacket pocket.

The men moved more quickly on the way out, and this time Heyes gave the Kid a leg up over the wall first.

Once back in the hotel room, Heyes lit a lamp and spread out the papers he'd taken from the safe. "See this, Kid?" Heyes pulled one paper from the stack.

"This is an insurance claim for a stolen ruby ring—the one that is right there in his safe. That's insurance fraud, and I bet it's not the only one. Here are four other payment stubs from insurance claims." He spread them out on the bed and stared at them. "These aren't enough though. We can't prove he has the other items and it would be easy for him to hide the ring if we threatened him with these."

Heyes dug into the stack of papers again and sifted through the other documents. "Itemized lists of items reported by the railroad as stolen in the hold-ups," he commented, tossing out a few sheets. "Tax returns for Midwest."

"Any receipts for payin' off big gamblin' debts?" Curry asked, hopefully.

"No, I'm afraid he didn't keep anything like that."

Heyes continued reading the papers. "Receipts for payments made to Silver City Railroad Construction & Maintenance. Midwest Railroad was paying them a fortune, no wonder it went broke. All of their profits were either reported stolen in hold-ups or paid to this Silver City company."

"I guess they did okay," Curry observed. "I wonder who owns that company."

Heyes' face lit up. "Kid, you won't believe it," he said, handing over a thick document that he had just unfolded. "Ownership papers for Silver City Railroad Construction & Maintenance."

Curry stared at the paper. "It says here that Thomas Ames owns that company."

"That's right, he was paying himself out of Midwest's profits—and anything that was left he claimed was stolen."

"So he got all of the railroad's money while claimin' he couldn't pay the rest of the employees."

"It looks that way, and now he's trying to negotiate a merger and take over the presidency of Central Railway."

"With us dead, there'd be no trial and no one digging' into the details of those robberies," Curry observed wryly. "We were just one little loose end."

"Well, we're about to become a much bigger problem to Mr. Ames," Heyes said, his expression darkening as he considered just how they would do it.


	10. Ames

Chapter 10 – Ames

Thomas Ames lived alone. He employed a driver, housekeeper, and cook, but the staff left after the dinner dishes and other chores of the day were completed. On evenings that Ames went out to dine or enjoy entertainment in the city, his driver would walk him to the door and then, once Ames was safely inside, leave the man alone in the house for the night.

As he sat in the dark, silently waiting for Thomas Ames to dismiss his driver, Heyes thought back over the details of the man's schedule that had been given to him by Lee, and marveled at the man's resourcefulness. He wondered briefly how successful they might have been if they'd teamed up while he and the Kid had still been engaged in less than honest pursuits. A sudden noise on the porch interrupted his thoughts and brought him to attention as he stood quietly and peered from behind the door to the study.

After a few minutes, Ames entered the house, closing the door behind him. Heyes waited until Ames had removed his overcoat and lit a lamp in the parlor, and then he walked quietly up behind the man and pressed the barrel of his gun against the man's back. "Stay real calm, Mr. Ames, and raise your hands up where I can see 'em."

Ames froze for a moment, and then complied. "Who are you?" he demanded. "What are you doing in my house?"

"I was waiting for you, Mr. Ames; it seems you've been looking for me. I thought we should meet. Turn around real slow."

Ames turned slowly, and looked into the face of the intruder. "What is this all about?"

"Do you know who I am, Mr. Ames?" Heyes asked.

Ames nodded, grimly. "You're Hannibal Heyes, the man who robbed my trains for years and never got caught. You arrived in San Francisco one week ago."

Heyes bristled slightly. It unnerved him that Ames knew they had been in town.

"I know who you are too, Ames. You're the man that stole from his own company and gambled the money away."

Ames raised his eyebrows. "That's a pretty wild accusation Mr. Heyes. Where would you get an idea like that?"

"From your own papers," Heyes replied, and received a feeling of satisfaction as he watched Ames' reaction. "You see, I paid you a little visit a few nights ago. You had some very interesting documents in your safe—documents that you don't want certain people to see."

Ames' face hardened and he met the other man's eyes. "Are you threatening me?"

"No threat. I'm here to offer you a deal."

"Oh really?" Ames scoffed. "What kind of deal?"

"My partner and I will keep your papers safe, and as long as we're safe, so is your dirty little secret."

Ames laughed. "You must be mad. I'm not going to let you blackmail me. My men know you're in town. If I'm found dead in the morning they'll track you down and kill you."

"It seems they've been trying to do that for a few months now. They haven't succeeded yet, but we're tired of the game. As much as I'd like to, I'm not going to kill you. I just want you to call off your hired killers and let us disappear. We'll give your papers to a friend for safe-keeping. If anything happens to us—or we don't check in regularly—he'll send the papers to your new friends at Central Railway. I don't think they'll be very happy to find out their new potential president milked his last company for all it was worth."

A smile spread across Ames' face and he laughed. "You haven't seen my hole card, Mr. Heyes."

The confident look on Heyes' face began to fade. "What hole card is that?" he asked.

Ames started to lower his right hand but Heyes responded by thrusting his gun closer to the man's chest. "Hold it right there," he said quickly.

"I was just going to show you a telegram that I received a few days ago. It's in my breast pocket."

"Alright, take it out slowly," Heyes said, watching the other man's every move closely. "Lay it down on the table," he commanded after Ames had the telegram in his hand.

Heyes took a small length of rope out of his pocket and tied Ames hands behind his back and sat him down in a chair, and then sat down across from him. Still pointing his gun at the other man, he began to read the telegram. The color drained from his face as he read the short message.

"How did you do this? How did you get Annabelle to come here?" Heyes asked.

"Well now, Mr. Heyes, it wasn't very hard for my man to follow your little girlfriend to Denver. She applied for a nursing position at the hospital there. My man told her he represented a private hospital in San Francisco and made her a better offer. As you can see, she accepted and arrived on the train today. Of course she doesn't know I'm involved, but one of my men picked her up and checked her into a hotel in the city. He's keeping a close watch on her."

"Why?" Heyes asked.

"Well, at first I thought she could be of some use to me in finding you. Imagine my surprise when I was told you had come here. I was thinking that her presence would be unnecessary, but now I think she will be quite useful."

"Where is she?" Heyes lunged at Ames and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him.

"Take your hands off of me!" Ames shouted. "If anything happens to me what do you think my man will do to that pretty girl? It seems we both have something worth bargaining for."

"Let her go. She didn't even know us before we showed up at her place after your men shot my partner. She's not my girlfriend. She's just an innocent young woman who helped an injured man."

"That's not how it looked to the man you left tied up in her house. My man interviewed him. It sounded like you were quite fond of Miss Granger."

Heyes was breathing heavily now, his rage barely contained. "What do you want?"

"A trade. My documents for the girl," he said simply.

Heyes glared at the man sitting in the chair with his hands tied behind his back. "I don't think you're in much of a position to make demands," he told him.

"What are you going to do, Mr. Heyes? Kill me? You're not a killer," Ames said smugly.

"I can always make an exception," Heyes warned.

Ames merely shook his head. "No, you're a smart man, and smart men know when to fold. We both have something the other wants. I want to be president of Central Railway, and you Mr. Heyes—you want to keep Annabelle Granger, and yourself, alive. We can both have what we want."

"We just bring you the documents and you let us all just walk away?"

"That seems reasonable to me, and I am a reasonable man," Ames said with a smile. "I don't see why we can't make this a mutually beneficial business arrangement."

"What stops you from just hiring more men to kill us after we leave?" Heyes asked.

Ames shrugged. "Now that you've seen how easy it is for me to get to you…and your friends…I'm sure you won't cause me any trouble. How is Mr. Curry, by the way? I heard he was injured recently. Is he staying with your friend, Mr. O'Sullivan?"

"He's fine," Heyes said through clenched teeth, ignoring the reference to Silky. "How do I get you to release Annabelle?"

Ames smiled and the look on his face was that of a man who knew he'd won. "Bring my papers here tomorrow night. I'll invite Miss Granger."

"Alright," Heyes said, after a short pause. "Let's do it somewhere public, that way you won't be tempted to try anything, because if you do, we'll start talking about all of your past business deals and we'll have the papers to prove it."

Ames considered this for a moment. "Alright, dinner at the Cliff House. I'll invite Miss Granger and you and Curry can come and bring the documents. When I'm satisfied that everything is there, you can leave with the lady."

"I'll be there, but expect my partner to be watching my back—if you try anything, he won't hesitate to settle things his own way."

Ames narrowed his eyes. "Yes, well, just know that I will have men keeping an eye on you as well. As long as everything goes as planned, no one has to get hurt."

"See you tomorrow night," Heyes said, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Ames began to protest, "Aren't you going to untie me?"

Without turning around, Heyes smiled and slipped out the front door.

Curry emerged from the shadows along the side of the house, and fell into step with his friend as they walked away from the house.

"You hear all that?" Heyes asked softly.

"Most of it," Curry acknowledged. "I had a good position from the side window. I heard him say he has Annabelle."

Heyes nodded, grimly. "We have to find her before tomorrow night. I'm not very confident that Mr. Ames is a man of his word, and I don't think he'll settle for us simply walking away."

Curry nodded again, absently rubbing his sore shoulder.

At the front gate, Lee joined them. "Any trouble?" Heyes asked quickly.

Lee shook his head. "Nobody came near the house. You?"

"Yeah, we've got a problem," Heyes said, frowning. "I'll fill you in on the way back to the hotel."


	11. Final Hours

Chapter 11 – Final Hours

"We're beat, Kid. He's got us."

"What are you talkin' about? You'll figure a way outta this."

The two men were in their hotel room, Curry sitting by the window, cleaning his gun, and Heyes pacing slowly back and forth.

"Not this time. It's over."

Curry stood up and angrily stomped over to his partner. "You can't do that. You can't just quit."

Heyes looked wearily at his friend. "There's nothing else I can do. Ames is holding all the cards."

"No!" Curry said, so forcefully that Heyes took a step back. "I didn't quit when I had that hunk of metal in my shoulder." He paused for a moment and absently rubbed his arm as though the mere mention of it brought the pain back. "I didn't quit when I thought I couldn't sit on my horse one minute longer—but we had to ride." He took a step closer to Heyes. "I didn't quit when I thought I couldn't take another step, and you told me we were hoppin' a train." He leaned forward, his nose only an inch from the other man's. "I didn't quit when I hurt like hell but we had to keep runnin'—and I'm not gonna let you quit!" He finished by jabbing his finger into his partner's chest.

Heyes dropped his head. "I failed both of us, and Annabelle too," he muttered.

Curry's face darkened. "No, Heyes, it wasn't your fault, and it wasn't my fault. I spent some time feelin' guilty about gettin' shot, and I 'spose you've been feelin' guilty too, but the only person to blame for this is sittin' in that house on Nob Hill. If you're not gonna do somethin' about it—then I will!" He stood still, glaring at Heyes, letting the threat hang in the air.

"You can't just go and…"

"No? You just try and stop me."

"But everything we've been working for…"

"Will pretty much be over unless you figure out a way to get Annabelle out of Ames' clutches and put him out of business."

Heyes looked away and was silent for a few moments. Finally he looked back at Curry with some of his old confidence returning. "You're right, I'll figure it out." He glanced over at the stack of papers he had removed from Ames' safe and his face suddenly lit up. "Come on, Kid, we don't have any time to lose," he said, pulling on his coat and slipping the new derringer into his pocket.

"Where are we going?" Curry asked, skepticism showing on his face.

-oooOOOooo-

"So there you have it, Silky," Heyes said, with confidence. "That's the plan and all you have to do is tell them you have information about this item." He held out one of the papers he had brought with him.

The older man raised his eyebrows. "What if they ask me how I got this? I'm retired you know."

"They won't ask any questions. And remember, you will be helping the authorities. They'll probably thank you."

The former con artist's face showed surprise and incredulity. "Now, that's even worse. Ain't it?"

"Not really. Not when it's Thomas Ames you'll be hurting," Heyes answered.

Silky took the paper and studied it. When he was finished, the older man nodded. "I'll do it, but it's a long shot you know. It's gonna depend on a whole lot of things coming together all at the same time."

"I know," Heyes said, solemnly, "but it'll work. It has to."

"Where's Lee?" Curry cut in. "We expected him to be here too."

"Oh, he'll be along shortly. He went over to see that friend of his that does Ames' laundry. He said he might be able to get some more useful information."

Heyes smiled. "Silky, how did you ever find him?"

The older man laughed out loud. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you," he said, still laughing.

"Try us," Curry said.

"Well, I had just moved to San Francisco. I'd just retired you see, and the word sort of got out that I had a lot of money to spend. Well, he tried to con me. Me! It was one of my old ones—I spotted it right off. You remember the one where I would…"

The sound of a man clearing his throat loudly, stopped the conversation. "Excuse me, gentlemen," Lee said, as he entered the room.

Heyes and Curry turned and greeted Lee with broad smiles. "Well," Heyes said, barely containing his amusement. "I thought we had a lot in common."

"That was in my younger days," Lee said, looking uncomfortable.

"Younger? How old are you now, twenty-five?" Heyes laughed.

"Thirty," Lee responded, guardedly.

"Oh," Heyes looked surprised, but he continued to smile as he turned his attention back to Silky. "You had better get going, it might take some time for you to get in to see the right people."

"I'll take care of my part," Silky said, gruffly. "You just take care of yours."

"I will," Heyes replied. "What did you find out from Mr. Wu?" Heyes asked, returning to Lee.

Lee relaxed, and smiled. "You remembered my friend's name," he said, clearly impressed.

"Of course, I remember all important details," Heyes said. "Did he give you any helpful information?"

"I think so. He said Mr. Ames asked him to deliver a dress to a young woman staying at the," he paused for affect, "Regency Hotel. I think we can get her if we all go in together."

"No," Heyes said, quickly, "that's too risky, and Ames would still come after us—all of us, but I think we can use that. Can Wu handle taking Annabelle a message?"

Lee considered this. "No, it could be dangerous if anything goes wrong. I will take Wu's place. What do you want me to tell the woman?"

"Wait, a dress? Just what is he giving her a dress for?" Curry asked suddenly.

"For dinner at the Cliff House," Heyes said, simply.

"What kind of a job is he offering her?" Curry asked, his face darkening.

"Don't worry, Kid, it's not what you think. I read the telegram he sent. He told her that he's donating a lot of money to a new hospital for charity cases, and he wants her to be the spokeswoman—sort of a contact for fundraising and the like."

At the Kid's confused look, he continued. "Apparently she had been suggesting a sort of "free hospital" for poor folks back in Colorado and trying to get wealthy men interested in sponsoring it. Ames' man in Denver must have found out about it when he started asking around about her. The telegram said he had heard about her idea and wanted to start a hospital in San Francisco, so of course, she came without much questioning. I suppose she thinks she's meeting donors or something like that."

"She's in for quite a surprise," Curry said, finally understanding.

-oooOOOooo-

The knock at the door startled Annabelle Granger. She had been travelling for two days and was looking forward to a little time to relax and be alone to enjoy the comforts of the luxurious hotel room.

"Who's there?" she asked, reluctantly getting off of the bed and approaching the door.

"Just me, Miss Granger, I have something for you, from Mr. Thomas."

Recognizing the voice of the man who had met her at the train station and driven her to the hotel, she opened the door. "What is it, Mr. Lewis?" she began, and was surprised to see a small Chinese man standing next to the man who had been introduced her as James Thomas' assistant.

"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but Mr. Thomas sent a dress for you to wear tonight at dinner. This man will make any necessary tailoring adjustments if it doesn't fit you properly," Lewis explained.

"Well, that really wasn't necessary. I do have a dress," Annabelle said uneasily.

Lewis merely shrugged and motioned for "Wu" to hand over the dress.

"You tie on, den I see," Lee said, feigning a thick Chinese accent and holding up what appeared to be a sewing kit.

"Alright," Annabelle said, quietly closing the door on the two men.

After a few minutes she opened the door, looking stunning in the fashionable emerald green dress.

"It's perfect," she said, and smiled, waiting for the men to leave.

"No, no," Lee said, quickly. "I make better. I fix." He pushed by Lewis, pulling out a tape measure, and closed the door behind him.

He put his to finger to his lips and quickly led her away from the door. "Don't be afraid," he whispered, "and don't say anything. I have a message for you from Mr. Heyes."

Annabelle's eyes flew open in alarm.

"It's okay. I'm a friend," Lee added quickly.

"You're in danger, and so are Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, but I'm going to tell you what you need to do."

"I don't understand," Annabelle whispered back.

"James Thomas is really Thomas Ames, and he's brought you here as a trick to kill Mr. Heyes and Mr. Curry."

"No, that isn't possible, I mean…" Annabelle's eyes filled with confusion and fear.

"Mr. Heyes has a plan," Lee told her, calmly. "Please listen, it's very important." He pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it, handing her the contents.

-oooOOOooo-

"Now, all we can do is wait," Heyes said, nervously, sipping from a crystal brandy snifter.

"That's always the hardest part," Silky observed, and nodded knowingly. He was seated across from Heyes in a large floral printed arm chair. "Would you sit down?" he scolded, addressing Curry who had been peering absently out of the window.

"I just hope nothing went wrong with Lee's piece of the plan," Curry muttered.

"Lee knows what he's doing, and if what you've told me about this girl is right, she'll play along."

All three men looked up suddenly as Lee entered the room. He smiled when he saw the question on all of their faces. "Everything went just like we planned," he said, not concealing his pride. "Even Ames didn't know I was not Wu."

"What?" Heyes exclaimed. "I thought you were going to switch places with Wu after he got the dress from Ames."

"Couldn't," Lee shrugged. "Lewis was there the whole time. There was no way to switch, so I just went in to get the dress."

"And Annabelle?" Curry asked.

"She's fine. A little confused, but she'll do what you said."

"Good," Heyes said, looking much more relaxed.

"And you had success?" Lee asked, looking at Heyes.

"Oh, sure, no problem at all."

Curry shot Heyes a look that said "You've got to be kidding me," but said nothing.

"Well, sure, it was a little harder to break in in broad daylight, but no problem." He turned to Curry. "You told me to get a plan," he said, with a shrug.

Curry looked back incredulously. "I didn't say break in to Ames' study while he was having lunch in the dining room, did I?"

"Well, you didn't have a better plan."

Curry sighed in defeat. "I know, Heyes, it's just that your plans are killin' me." He regretted the words as soon as they had left his mouth, realizing how Heyes would take it. "Hey, I didn't mean…"

"Yeah, Kid, I know," Heyes said, the weight of the situation showing in his face.

"Anybody for a game of Bridge? We have almost two hours before Ames is due at the Cliff House," Silky said brightly.


	12. The Cliff House

Chapter 12 – The Cliff House

Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry rode silently along the sandy, barren road that led from the heart of the city to the coast. To the east of San Francisco was the Bay and Fisherman's Wharf, but to the west was the rugged coastline of the Pacific Ocean. The Cliff House sat perched on the bluff overlooking the beach and formation known as "Seal Rocks." In addition to a restaurant, the resort housed parlors and gambling casinos for the elite of San Francisco.

"A lot more people around than I thought there'd be," Curry commented, when the building came into view.

"It's still light out and the Sunday afternoon crowd is still down at the beach. Silky said the place gets a lot of tourists," Heyes said, noting the horses and carriages alongside the road. "We should be able to blend in for now."

Both men wore suits and carried the small derringers provided by Lee.

"Silky said he'd be in one of the card rooms," Heyes commented, as they approached the entrance. They had agreed to travel separately, with Silky and Lee arriving first in a carriage, and the two former outlaws on horseback. The restaurant provided hitching posts and an area for carriages to accommodate their guests, as none of the cable car lines extended to Ocean Beach.

To the left, the road dropped off to a cliff descending sharply to the beach. To the right, a rugged hillside sparsely populated with shrubs and trees rose up to a crest high above the road. "I'll wander around out here and see who else shows up," Curry said, looking up at the steep hillside. "I can take cover up there and keep a good watch on things down around the restaurant."

Heyes walked into the Cliff House and found a seat in the bar adjacent to the dining room. He knew he shouldn't be so close, Ames would be expecting him and would be looking for him, and he needed to stay out of sight. He also needed to be sure that Annabelle made it safely out of the restaurant and away from Ames. If Ames alerted the authorities and a search of the building was conducted, he might be found, but he hoped that Ames' desire to keep his own dealings private would prevent that.

Thomas Ames arrived at sunset. He was accompanied by a tall lean man with black hair and a stern countenance. The man shifted his gaze slightly left to right as he entered the dining room with Ames, and then took a slow lap around the dining room after Ames was seated.

_He brought protection,_ Heyes observed silently. _Well, so did we._

A few minutes later Heyes saw Annabelle enter the room. She was wearing an emerald green dress and her hair was pinned up elegantly. She looked very different from the woman he had spent several days with back in Colorado. Somehow, he thought, this setting fit her. He knew that by now she understood the situation, yet she looked poised and friendly—smiling at both Ames and the gentleman who had escorted her to the table. Seeing her in the restaurant, Heyes' apprehension subsided and he settled down to wait for the next arrival.

Heyes took cover from the guests and waiters while he watched the three people at the table. Ames looked nervous, glancing frequently toward the door and around the room. He was waiting for Heyes.

The second man at the table, Annabelle's escort also looked toward the door frequently, but appeared calmer. He was a man of average height and build, with thinning blond hair and glasses. Heyes thought he looked like an accountant, or possibly an attorney, certainly not a bodyguard. That job, Heyes was sure, belonged to the dark-haired man who had entered with Ames.

After thirty minutes had passed, Ames stood, clearly frustrated, and gestured toward the door. Heyes saw the dark-haired bodyguard leave the restaurant. He assumed Ames had sent the man to search the area, and hoped that the Kid would not run into any trouble with the man.

Heyes went on full alert when two police officers entered the restaurant, accompanied by a small man in a business suit. The trio approached Ames and his guests.

"Showtime," Heyes said under his breath, and edged closer to Ames' table. He saw Annabelle drop her hands to her lap.

"What's this all about officers?" Thomas Ames asked, showing no obvious alarm, when the men stopped at his table.

"Mr. Ames," the man in the suit began, "I am with the firm of Eaton and Combs. We have reason to believe you have perpetrated insurance fraud against our company."

"Wh-what?" Ames looked up at the three men and gave them a puzzled look. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Annabelle withdrew her hands from her lap, and from where he stood in the bar, Heyes could clearly see the large ruby ring on her finger. He smiled.

Ames saw the ring too, and his eyes opened wide. "Where did you get that?" he demanded.

"Why, Thomas, you gave it to me," Annabelle said simply.

"I most certainly did not. That ring was in my safe this morning. I checked because…" He stopped abruptly, realizing he had said too much.

"Is that the ring you reported stolen six months ago, Mr. Ames?" The insurance agent asked.

"No, it is not. It is a different ring altogether," Ames said quickly.

"Well, that will be easy enough to verify. We have a detailed description that identifies the size, cut, color, and any flaws. Officer, we'd like to have this ring taken into evidence please," the insurance man instructed.

Annabelle removed the ring and handed it to the uniformed man standing closest to her. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to leave now," she said to the officer.

"Certainly ma'am, as long as we have your name and where we can reach you."

"Alright, but I'd like that to be confidential. Suddenly I don't feel safe with this man," she said, looking pointedly at Ames.

Annabelle left the table with one of the officers and Heyes watched as she wrote something down.

Ames was still arguing with the insurance agent when Annabelle walked quickly out of the dining room and into the lobby of the restaurant. Heyes slipped out of the bar and followed her. Silky and Lee were already in the lobby when Heyes and Annabelle met.

Heyes gave her a charming smile and she went to him hesitantly. "I really don't understand what's going on," she said tentatively. "And there are policemen in there. What if they see you?"

He laughed softly. "Yes, I know, but I really don't think Mr. Ames wants to get into more trouble right now by claiming he was planning to blackmail an outlaw."

"Did I do alright? I tried to remember just what you told me," she said addressing Lee.

"You did wonderfully," Heyes said, with a smile, and Lee nodded. "I think Mr. Ames is going to have his hands full long enough for all of us to get away."

"Let's go then," Annabelle said quickly.

"These men will see that you get safely back to town. You will be staying with my friend, Mr. O'Sullivan here, until things calm down."

"Aren't you coming? I have so many questions."

"I'll be there soon. I have to meet the Kid and we have our horses. You can trust these gentlemen," Heyes said, giving Silky and Lee grateful nods.

"Alright, I'll see you soon then," Annabelle said, and then wrapped her arms around Heyes in a tight hug.

"I'll see you real soon," he said softly, returning the hug, and then releasing her to Silky with a nod of urgency. "Time to go," he insisted.

Ames left a few minutes later, accompanied by the insurance man and the two policemen. Heyes stood on the balcony of the Cliff House and watched as Ames disappeared into the dark night.

Heyes stood on the balcony of the Cliff House and watched as Ames disappeared into the dark night. After they had gone, he looked up onto the hillside and searched for Curry. They could leave now; everything had gone as planned. Movement caught his eye. Some sort of scuffle. Panic gripped him as he realized his partner was not alone on the hillside.


	13. Surprises

Chapter 13 – Surprises

Kid Curry had been sitting on the hill for nearly an hour when the sky began to turn orange and the sun glowed with the promise of a vibrant sunset. He watched until the sun dipped into the ocean and the colors faded as though a giant flame had been extinguished by the water. So far, there had been no sign of Ames or Annabelle. Cold and tired, he was beginning to wonder if Ames would even show up. _Has this whole thing been a trap to catch Heyes?_ That thought shook him back to the job at hand, and he studied the men he could see below more closely. None of the guests looked like lawmen or bounty hunters, but then one can never be sure.

Curry stiffened and watched intently as Thomas Ames emerged from one of the carriages that had just pulled up to the front of the Cliff House. Ames entered the restaurant accompanied by a tall, thin man who strode casually behind him.

He shifted his position, trying for a more comfortable angle. His shoulder was prone to ache often, and hurt sharply whenever he made a quick movement. He still tired easily, and the ride to the Cliff House alone had nearly worn him out. He had been trying to cover his weakness, but he suspected Heyes knew better.

It was another long while before Annabelle finally arrived, but her entrance was without incident. Shortly after she entered the restaurant, two uniformed policemen arrived and strode purposefully inside. He knew this was part of the scheme, but the men's presence made his heart beat faster all the same. Heyes was inside, and now so were these lawmen.

It seemed an eternity before Ames and the detectives finally left, but Curry breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his partner and Annabelle on the porch of the restaurant. Everything looked like it had gone according to Heyes' plan.

A rustle in the bushes and the sound of footsteps on dried shrubbery got the Kid's attention and he turned toward the sound. He moved forward cautiously, his .45 in his hand, circling around the bushes and watching for any sign of movement.

"Hold it right there, Curry." The voice came from behind him. He froze.

"Drop the gun or you're a dead man."

Curry slowly lowered his right arm, letting his gun swing harmlessly from one finger. _I'm a dead man either way. Might as well go out with a fight. _Curry thought, and took a deep breath.

With one quick motion, he whirled around and struck his would-be attacker's out-stretched arm with the butt of his Colt. The gun flew from the man's hand and Curry followed up with a left punch to the jaw. The exertion cost him, and he staggered backward as pain shot through his body. He recognized the tall lean man who had accompanied Ames into the restaurant earlier. Ames' man rushed at the Kid and tackled him, grabbing for his gun.

The two struggled for the weapon as they rolled over on the ground. Curry fought back but the other man easily overpowered him and landed several blows to his head and abdomen. He felt pain surging through his body as nausea and dizziness began to overtake him. The gun was wrestled from his grip and he knew in that moment it was over. _This is it. Let it be quick. _He closed his eyes

Suddenly, and without warning the attack ceased and Curry felt the man fall limply on top of him. He lay there for a moment, not sure what had just happened. When he finally opened his eyes and pushed the man off of him, he was staring up into the barrel of a revolver. He let his eyes travel up to the face of the man who held the gun. He recognized the large man who had bumped into him days earlier at the train station.

"Take it easy, I don't want to have to shoot you," the man said firmly and calmly, as though he were calming a spooked horse.

"Coulda fooled me," Curry muttered. "You been tryin' to kill me all week."

"I have not," the man stated flatly. "I've been following you. That's all."

Curry glanced anxiously at the other man who was out cold on the ground.

"Don't worry; I didn't kill him, but he'll be out for a while," the big man assured him.

Curry grimaced and pulled himself into a seated position. "Why'd you stop him? Don't you work for the same man?" he questioned.

"Certainly not." An amused smile spread across the man's face. "He works for Thomas Ames. He's a hired gun."

"So what are you?" the Kid asked, a defeated resignation settling over him.

"I work for the Bannerman Detective Agency. My name is John Stanley," the man replied.

"Great," Curry groaned and shook his head. The agent standing over him did not lower his weapon, and he did not offer to help him up, so the Kid decided it was safer to stay where he was. "Why were you following us? Why not just arrest us if you knew who we were?"

"I wanted to find out what Ames' business with you was first. We've been investigating him for some time for Central Railway. The executives at Central didn't quite trust Ames, and they wanted us to look into his background and former business dealings before they agreed to the merger of the two companies."

"You're investigatin' Ames?"

"That's right. When he took that personal bounty out on you and Heyes, we suspected that he might have been in business with you two and was trying to tie up loose ends."

"Business with us? The only business he had with us was tryin' to kill us," Curry said bitterly.

"We decided to follow you two and see if we could connect Ames to any illegal activity."

"Well, you finally got something right. He was involved in plenty of illegal activity. Starting with stealin' from his own railroad. We never stole half as much as from Midwest as he did."

Stanley gave Curry his full attention. "What do you mean?"

"Every time we robbed a train he claimed we got away with a lot more than we really did. He was takin' the rest for himself. He was doing other stuff too, like collecting insurance for things that weren't really stolen. An investigator from the insurance company is down there with him right now."

The agent was clearly surprised. "You and Heyes set this up?"

"Yes sir, we did," Curry replied, honestly.

"Why?"

"Well, we had to find a way to make him take back that bonus he was offering—especially since he was encouraging people to try and kill us."

"You were already wanted dead or alive," the agent said guardedly.

Curry sighed. "Yeah, we were, but most folks were willing to consider taking us alive. Ames' bonus changed that. It brought out a whole bunch of more ruthless bounty hunters."

Stanley nodded thoughtfully. "I can see that. Why didn't you kill Ames when you got to San Francisco?"

"We may have been thieves, but we were never killers," Curry said defiantly.

"That's right. We're not, unless of course we have no choice. Hannibal Heyes said smoothly, stepping into sight. The small Derringer in Heyes' hand was pointed directly at Stanley. "I could have shot you from behind that tree where I've been listening for the last few minutes, but I think we can find a better way to resolve this."

Stanley's eyes moved from the man on the ground to the new arrival. "Well, we appear to have a stand-off," he said calmly.

"You look terrible," Heyes told Curry when he had moved closer.

"Good to see you too," Curry mumbled.

"He do this to you?" Heyes asked, eyeing Stanley darkly.

"Thought you said you were listenin'," Curry said.

"Got here while you two were talking," Heyes replied.

"No, he stopped it. That one over there jumped me," Curry said, motioning to the man lying motionless on the ground."

Curry stood up and brushed off the dirt and leaves that he had picked up in the struggle.

Heyes nodded, satisfied, and then addressed Stanley. "So your client wants the goods on Thomas Ames?"

"They want us to find out if he's honest or if he was embezzling from Midwest," Stanley replied.

"We have some papers in our possession that suggest Thomas Ames was involved in various schemes to defraud Midwest, as well as several insurance scams," Heyes admitted.

"How did you get these papers?" Ames asked, skeptically.

"I took them out of the safe in his home," Heyes answered.

Stanley gave Heyes a wry smile of understanding. "To blackmail Ames into removing the reward he was offering for you."

"That's right," Heyes confirmed. "Now, I think those documents would be better off with you. I don't know if they will stand up in a court of law, but with BDA's resources I'm sure you will be able to find a way to prove what he was doing."

"And Central will be grateful," Stanley finished.

"If you turn us in, as a BDA man, how much of the reward do you get to keep?" Heyes asked.

"Ten percent."

"And how much is it worth to Central Railway to get the proof that Ames is a liar and a thief?"

"Quite a bit more."

"Well, Agent Stanley, I think we can make a deal." Heyes smiled and lowered his gun. The BDA man did the same.

"We ride out of here now, and we'll meet you later tonight and bring you the documents."

"How do I know that you won't simply ride out of town?"

"Because, Detective, we want Ames to go down for what he's done as badly as Central Railway does, and we can't do that by holding onto the papers."

"Alright, Mr. Heyes, you have a deal. Meet me in two hours at the Palace Hotel."

"What about him?" Curry asked, indicating Ames' man who was now groaning and beginning to stir.

"I'll take care of him," Stanley replied.

"Let's go," Heyes said, turning to his partner. "Are you alright? Can you ride?" he asked, seeing how slowly Curry was moving.

"Heyes, I ain't been alright ever since I got shot. When did that stop me from ridin'?"

-oooOOOooo-

"Do you think Stanley and the BDA will be able to prove Ames was a crook?" Curry asked. The two men sat in Silky's living room drinking coffee and waiting for Annabelle to return from her interview with the insurance investigators.

"Don't worry, Kid, he's only had the papers for two days. Give him some time," Heyes said. He turned and glanced out the window, and then at his watch. "Don't you think Silky and Annabelle should be back by now?"

"Now who's worryin'?" Curry laughed. "So have you two talked yet?"

"Sure. We talked a lot," Heyes said.

"Looked like you two were doin' more than talkin' last night," Curry teased.

Heyes gave him a warning look. "She was all over you when we got back from the Cliff House the other night."

"Awe, c'mon Heyes, she was just doctorin' me up. I don't think she wanted all of her hard work saving my life in Colorado to go to waste."

Heyes smiled. "Yeah, she's kinda protective that way."

"Look Heyes, I just mean that we all have train tickets to go back to Denver tomorrow and we don't know what she's expecting to happen once we get there. We can't stay around, and she can't come with us."

"Don't you think I know that?" Heyes said quickly. "Let me handle Annabelle."

"Okay," Curry said, and dropped the subject.

An hour later, Annabelle and Silky came through the front door.

"How'd it go?" Heyes asked, going quickly to Annabelle and taking her hand.

"Just fine. I did like you said and told them mostly the truth—about Ames inviting me here because he wanted to fund a hospital for the less fortunate, and wanting me to be the spokeswoman. I just added that the ring was a gift along with the dress."

"Good girl," Heyes said softly, "I knew you'd do fine."

"Heyes," Annabelle began. "there's something I need to talk to you about. It's our trip back to Colorado."

Curry exchanged a glance with Heyes. "Should I leave you two alone?" he asked.

"No, please stay." Annabelle interjected quickly. "I can tell both of you at the same time. I've been thinking about this for the last two days, and now, after talking with the insurance agent today, I'm sure."

"Of what?" Heyes asked.

"I won't be going back to Denver. When I described my plans to Howard, he offered to introduce me to some of his other clients. He thought they might be interested in donating to a project like this."

"Who's Howard?" Heyes asked.

"Oh, he's the insurance agent who took my statement today."

"You mean you're not going with us on the train tomorrow?" Heyes asked. Disappointment showing briefly on his face.

"No, I'm not. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I'm staying here in San Francisco and I'm going to try and get funding for the charity hospital—without Thomas Ames."

Curry's face broke into a broad smile. "Annabelle, that's terrific!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Heyes added, less enthusiastically. "Are you sure you should stay here? Ames isn't in prison yet, and we're not sure what's going to happen to him."

"I'll be fine. He has no reason to hurt me now." Annabelle said, smiling at both men. "I know you risked a lot to help me, but I've been looking after myself for quite a long time. I'll be fine. Besides, both Mr. O'Sullivan and Mr. Lee have both offered to help if I need anything."

Heyes looked at the two men. Both smiled and nodded their assurance that they would look after her.

Heyes gave Annabelle one of his most charming and sincere smiles. "Well then, you'll have nothing to worry about. I'm sure you'll be able to do wonderful things here."

"Lee, thanks for everything. We couldn't have done it without you."

The Chinese man shrugged. "I know," he said with a grin. "It's why he keeps me around."

"Silky," Heyes said, shaking the older man's hand. "This time we really do owe—"

"Don't say it," the retired con artist snapped. "I'm gittin' too old to remember who owes who anymore. Just try and stay out of trouble!"

-oooOOOooo-

"You got lucky, Heyes. You didn't have to let her down. She ended it herself."

Heyes looked at his partner. "There was nothing to end, Kid. We were just friends. You know that."

"Uh, huh," Curry said, sliding back in his seat and pulling his hat lower over his face.

The two men had changed their tickets and were on their way to New Mexico. Curry had claimed that a little sunshine would help him heal.

"You never know, Kid, we might be back in San Francisco some time."

"Uh, huh," Curry said again, from under the hat.

The train whistle blew and the train edged forward.

Heyes sighed and looked out the window at the station and buildings rolling by, and the city he was leaving behind him. "I know it's a long shot…"

The end


End file.
